HR 9wv2 Amrys of the Weavercraft
by slytherinsal
Summary: Amrys is now one of the old hands at the new Weavercraft Hall welcoming new apprentices who have to shake down with the original bunch. New Turn 2524 - summer 2524
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"It'll be good to get back to work" said Amrys.

"What, tired of us already?" teased Corbin, her stepfather.

Amrys flung herself across the room to give him an affectionate hug.

"Never! But it's such fun to learn and to be with the crowd!"

Her mother Rillys laughed.

"Judging by the steady tramp through the place of those staying in the Crafthall for the holidays, besides you and Jilamon you ARE with the crowd!"

"Rillys! It's only Zayven, Hetel, Nelon, Kyilin, Torghen, Kevanna and Kevanna's little brothers and sisters!" Amrys rose before she realised her mother was laughing and joined in ruefully. "I suppose actually that is quite a crowd really, when you think about it" the little girl added. "I guess it's nice to have lots of friends my age; and it's something someone with Rank doesn't often get, because you can't always really count fostering. I was lucky in Sagarra; and I'm really lucky to have friends from a whole lot of disparate backgrounds, it gives me a much more balanced outlook than some stuck up brat who's only ever known other stuck up brats."

Rillys nodded.

She agreed; her Amrys was a much better balanced child than many a Holder's child, and it would stand her in good stead when Rillys relinquished the Wardership and Amrys Held in her own right.

"Did you know, Kevanna's next brother Ankevor will be one of the new ones starting?" said Jilamon, Amrys' much loved adopted brother.

"No real vice in Ankevor anyhow" said Amrys. "I hope Ellavas grows out of falling headlong into trouble though before HE joins us."

"Be fair" said Nelon, who was waiting to stand for Impression and was spending part of the holiday with Amrys and Jilamon, and the rest with Kevanna, whose parents were fostering him "Ellavas is only five turns old; you can't really expect him to NOT fall into trouble."

"I just wish he didn't have such an affinity for things like snow drifts" said Amrys "Are we going out for a ski as it's fine?"

There was a flurry of agreement, though Rillys, five months pregnant, cried off ; even little Corrys was bundled up well and slung on her father's chest in a sling. She would be skiing for herself next turn of course; but at only a turn old she was still mastering the intricacies of walking and running steadily!

Jilamon ran to get Zayven, a fellow apprentice, but one who had earned his senior knots before the younger ones started their apprenticeships; Zayven's grandfather had transferred to Rivenhill Hold and acted as a willing uncle for Corrys when the Lady Warder and her husband had official business.

It was a jolly trek, the various firelizards playing games with the snow that had the children laughing in delight at their antics!

As they returned to the Hold, pink cheeked from the cold air, a Brown dragon could be seen coming in to land.

"Funny, I don't recognise him" said Amrys, squinting through her snow goggles. The Hold Glasscrafter had been busy making up goggles for the anticipated new apprentices; though it was not so time consuming as having to make enough for the whole Hall at the beginning of the previous winter! Fortunately Rillys had anticipated the need and had asked him to get to work before Amrys had earnestly explained to Master Weaver Lynger the necessity for tinted glass goggles in the thin dry air with glare from snow. Natives of Southern Boll had never come across the phenomenon of snow blindness; but it was to Master Lynger's credit that he accepted the word of a native. He was, in Amrys' words 'an absolute sweetie with a good share of common sense'; and he was glad of advice from those who knew the local conditions,

The little party skied over to the visiting Brown, who had a passenger.

The Rider dismounted, taking a large carisac from the passenger and helping her – for it was a young girl – to dismount. She was shivering violently, despite flying gear designed to keep out the cold of _Between_; for that was only a top layer to deal with the three heartbeats of bitter cold. Here in the High Reaches in midwinter the cold was intense; and sustained. Her little green firelizard chattered worry and distress, her eyes whirling violet.

"Great shells, you must get inside at once!" said Corbin "Those thin boots are no good – children, carry her!"

Amrys and Jilamon promptly crossed two of their ski sticks between them.

"Sit there, we'll fly!" said Amrys "Arm around each neck!"

The girl, a little older than Amrys, looked slightly put out at getting orders from younger children; then did as they suggested, recognising that the cold was striking up through her relatively thin boots.

Jilamon had learned fast; and skied almost as well now as Amrys. They shot away back towards the Hold at top speed.

"Why – it's almost as fast as flying!" said the girl between chattering teeth. Her firelizard flew alongside, eyes whirling less rapidly now.

"Faster downhill – unless they're flying flat out in a mating flight!" said Amrys. "Zay, ski on ahead and have Rillys prepare a hot bath and klah, would you?"

The older boy took orders from the junior apprentice in matters pertaining to the local conditions; used to cold weather as he was he hailed from the plain of Nabol, where the weather was never quite as extreme as at the lower end of the Esvay Valley where Rivenhill was situated. He sped away.

Nelon brought up the rear of the youngsters with the girl's carisac, while Corbin slipped off his skis to walk with the Brown Rider, himself wishing he had heavier boots!

There was very little time to talk with the girl, for Rillys had her in a hot tub and then into a llama wool nightgown before the children were permitted to talk to her!

Corbin introduced the Rider.

"This is Brown Rider B'tin" he said "As you can see from his knots he is from IgenWeyr"

B'tin nodded.

"I've brought my daughter Bretine to learn a good craft before she's old enough to stand for Impression" he said "As Igen is now opening Green dragons to girls like High Reaches does. I was told that the daughter of this Hold and the foster son were weyrbred and might help ease her into a very different life….is your daughter here, Lady Rillys, Holder Corbin?"

Amrys rose and bobbed a curtsey as well as she might in her trews. He stared.

"Oh, I apologise!" he said "I quite took you for a boy…did you cut your hair in the Weyr, then?"

"Oh no, Brown Rider B'tin" said Amrys "It is the rule in the Weaverhall; for safety reasons and because people don't like finding hair in their cloth."

Bretine, entering wrapped in a blanket over her nightgown heard this last; and opened her eyes wide, pulling a face.

"It'll grow back again" said Amrys practically, seeing the face. "And it really is loads more comfy, believe me!"

"Oh well!" the girl said "Vanity has no place for an apprentice I suppose…I'd rather have not, but if it's the rule…."

"You can bob it to the shoulder" said Amrys "But I figured, in for a thirtysecond, in for a mark. Besides it's a sight easier under a flying cap."

"Well, Nadira cuts hers fairly close" said Bretine "She's so pretty and fine boned she looks good whatever she does. Mother wears hers longer, not being a rider."

"Only T'lana and Pilgra cut theirs at High Reaches" said Amrys "And Pilgra's is down her neck a bit. L'rilly claims it's an extra layer of warmth to ward off the cold!"

"Well, it's heat that's more the issue at Igen; so off it goes" sighed Bretine.

"I'll do it for you tomorrow, dear" said Rillys "I take it, B'tin, you'd like her to foster here between the long holidays?"

"If that's acceptable to you, Lady" he said.

"Oh, I'm quite used to weyrbred little girls" said Rillis amicably "I gave up getting grey hairs over their exploits long ago; life's too short to worry about them taking on a greater number of bigger boys."

"Rillys! You know fine well we had to! They were teasing the watch wher!" Amrys was injured!

"She and her friend were eight. The three boys they took on were around thirteen" Rillys explained dryly. "The girls used the mucking out shovel. Never seen such cowed boys."

"Quite right too" said B'tin "Whers are dragonkind too, even if the big fellas prefer not to acknowledge it. I'd hope Bretine would wade in, in such a situation."

"Of course I would, B'tin!" said Bretine "Rillys told me I need long underwear; may I have some more marks for all I need?"

"Of course" B'tin dug into his pouch "You'll need spare for those ski things too."

"Skates as well" said Amrys. "We talked the Hall woodcrafter into building toboggans, so that at least is sorted; and reckon I could knock one together anyway, it's no harder a build than a table loom, I could plane a curve for the runners."

Rillys and Corbin exchanged a proud look.

Their little girl had learned so much and gained even more confidence than ever!

Bretine was bedded down in Amrys' room and demanded to know how come Amrys was 'a little bit Weyrbred' in the little girl's own words. Amrys told the tale readily enough; and how she and Sagarra had engineered the romance between Rillys and Corbin, or at least, she admitted candidly, tried to help it along! She also mentioned that Corbin was a dragonless man.

Bretine gasped.

"I'd never have guessed!" she said "He seems so…..so…." she grasped futilely for words.

"Sane?" supplied Amrys "It took a while, you know. His firelizard helps, though Silka can't fill the gap left by Brown Doroth, but at least she's in his head; and there's mother; and all the High Reaches dragons talk to him. It makes the empty place a little less empty, I guess."

"So your father – 'cos I can see he really is your father now – is a Brown Rider too!" said Bretine.

"And so's my other foster brother T'mon, Jilamon's brother, but they don't pull colour rank at High Reaches you know, and you mustn't either; it's awf'ly bad form" said Amrys. "Bronze Riders and Brown Rider Wingleaders bear the brunt of Fall and earn respect for that, but it's all pretty egal – egal – er, equal at High Reaches."

"We're quite laid back at Igen too I guess" said Bretine "G'narish is more interested in whether people do their jobs than in fiddling around worrying about rank. And he said I had best go away for a turn or two in case I accidentally Impressed earlier than he's prepared to let girls be for Greens. I guess I agree, 'cos it'd be a pretty quick end to childhood to Impress."

Amrys nodded.

"Jilamon and Nelon – he fosters with my friend mostly but spends a lot of time with us too – are waiting until they've Turned fourteen to stand" she said "And if they can come close to being Journeymen too, that's all well and good; otherwise they'll have to put craft aside until their dragons have stopped being walking tummies."

Bretine blinked over absorbing several things in that sentence.

"They expect to continue craft after Impression? And you expect them to Impress for sure?"

"Jilamon was sired by a Brown Rider; Weyrbred DOES tell, you know! And Nelon was tipped by K'len – he's bookholder at High Reaches – to Impress Bronze, and K'len doesn't often fall on his face over things like that! So yes, I am sure they'll Impress" said Amrys. "I hear mother coming; and she'll be pretty waxy if we're still talking when she comes in."

Rillys looked in with a shaded glow basket and smiled at the two girls trying to look virtuously sleepy.

"I know it's tempting, but I don't want any more talking now!" she said "It's a long day tomorrow – go to sleep!"

"Yes Rillys" said two obedient voices.

And without conversation to keep them awake, both little girls were asleep before Rillys even got back to the family living rooms!

Next morning there was a blizzard roaring in earnest; and Amrys made a face.

"I WAS hoping to take you over to meet Kevanna and her brother and Hetel" she said "They being Craftbred and children of journeymen here. You'll be in young Ankevor's group, being a beginner; he's not bad for a scrub just Turned ten. You'll be in a dorm with us more senior girls unless the whole new lot are girls too – which I doubt. There's to be a dozen new ones in total and there's only us three girls for now, and you and we're in a six bed dorm so I reckon we'll all be together."

"That sounds nice and cosy! We've a dozen girls to a dorm at Igen, sorted by age if we're not dorming with a fostering group as some do. My mother fostered a couple of kids older than me but she's got no fosterlings right now, she reckons she's not as maternal as some! Tell me about your two friends!"

Amrys happily talked about Kevanna, and her unexpected bronze firelizard from the idiot trader who had tried to cheat the crafthall; and of Ruathan born Lyssa from Ruatha's one main Seahold, down to earth and sensible; and she told Bretine about the expedition to gather Green firelizard clutches for safety in the uncertain weather of the High Reaches. Bretine was fascinated; and learned, incidentally, a lot of weather lore and safety rules!

Zayven strolled over.

"You know, we could do worse, while we're stuck inside, than to give Bretine a tour of the craft as you might say" he suggested "Show her something of all the disciplines."

"And make sure she can knit" said Amrys.

"I can't" said Bretine "I can sew and I've done some weaving and tablet weaving."

"Oh, that'll stand you in excellent stead" said Amrys. "So many people get in and AWFUL muddle with tablet weaving. Journeyman Kevas – Kevanna's father – threatened to tie Jilamon in his own mess and dangle him out of the window in the snow! And I think he ALMOST meant it too, 'cos Jilamon's work looked like it had been done by a green firelizard when they make a nest out of seaweed!"

Bretine laughed.

"Obviously the Journeyman isn't really unkind or I'd hear that about him in your voice" she said.

"He's not Pern's most patient" said Amrys, tolerantly "But he's a decent man. His bellow is worse than his bit."

The morning was therefore spent profitably, introducing Bretine to the art of knitting, one of the crafts many youngsters came to the hall bringing knowledge of the rudiments. The blizzard blew itself out by the end of the noon meal; and Amrys asked permission to take Bretine to meet Kevanna.

"I've never skied before" said Bretine, doubtfully.

"S'all right" said Amrys "We strap you to skis and you keep your feet together while we tow you over; we can start to teach you when we're over there. Weather should be fair; it's when you have three day blizzards the respite between them can be a little short."

Kevanna did not find making friends easy; she belonged to the group of friends largely because Amrys had firmly befriended her before any other apprentices arrived and dragged her headlong into the friendships Amrys made so easily. Kevanna was a little inclined to be jealous of the other friends of Amrys, even Jilamon; but had the sense to keep it to herself! The little girl, whose self image was not good, hoped fervently that this Bretine would not prove a replacement for the Sagarra that she had heard so much about, because of being Weyrbred!

Zayven went off to find his friend Hetel; so Jilamon and Nelon, joined by the other two Craftbred boys Kyilin and Torghen, gave their attention to helping improve the skiing skills of Ankevor and little Ellavas, Kevanna's next brother down after Ankevor. Kevanna and Amrys taught Bretine from scratch; Kevanna's mother decreed little Kellaia, the youngest child, too young to be out, though Amrys did tell her that a toddler was at the best age to learn!

Amrys had taught Kevanna, her first Weavercraft friend, well; and it made Kevanna feel much better that she was able to show the weyrbred newcomer something!

Bretine did not lack courage or determination; and was soon able to make some semblance of forward motion.

"These wretched skis keep crossing!" she said, emerging from a tumble into the snow "I swear one thinks it's a Green on heat and the other a Blue!"

The other girls laughed at both simile and indignant tone; but Kevanna's mother called them in at that juncture for klah and cakes.

"You bake a mean applecake, Ellaia" said Amrys, appreciatively, with her mouth full.

Ellaia laughed.

"I'm glad you approve. And who is this?" she smiled at Bretine, still feminine even with her pale hair cut close to her head.

Amrys filled Ellaia in, with interruptions from the others. With four children of her own, Ellaia had no trouble following this rather confusing narrative, and nodded.

"The Master said we'd have another Weyrbred child, but it was all he said" she said "I'm sure you'll settle in well, while you wait for your dragon to shell, my dear."

Bretine beamed.

"Oh I'm sure I shall!" she said "I was a bit afraid I'd get treated oddly for being weyrbred, but nobody has yet!"

"Oh, people can have peculiar ideas about weyrfolk right enough" said Ellaia "But we consider that background is not important, only dedication to craft; and we'd squash any silly ideas. I don't THINK any of our kids here have silly ideas?" she made it a question and glanced at Jilamon to answer.

Jilamon shrugged and shook his head.

"Not that they've said anything about to me!" he said "Couldn't speak for the paying students; prefer not to speak TO the paying students!"

"Now then, you bad boy!" chid Ellaia.

Jilamon just grinned at her!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Bretine's lessons in skiing continued next day; but the girls were called over by Journeyman Otelek.

Otelek was a prime favourite with the apprentices; he was not averse to impromptu outings to illustrate a point about flax cultivation or ovine raising, and he made the academic subject of fibre theory interesting. They skied over to him readily.

Otelek looked from one to another, taking in Bretine's open and friendly face.

"I wanted to ask Amrys and Kevanna a favour; as you're older than most of the new intake – Bretine isn't it? – perhaps you can help too."

"Anything, Journeyman" said Amrys promptly.

"You ought not to promise that without finding out what it is first" the Journeyman teased.

"For you, anything" said Amrys firmly. "You're what Larek calls thoroughly bonza."

Otelek chuckled.

"Ah, Keroon and its linguistic idiosyncrasies!" he said. "It's about a new apprentice who's due; a little girl called Janika. She's my niece; the child of my older sister."

"You want us to keep an eye on her?" asked Amrys. "See no-one calls her Journeyman's pet or Master's pet?"

"It goes a little deeper than that….Leka, my sister, died four turns ago, birthing a stillborn baby; and then four months ago my brother-in-law drowned while travelling to a new Hold as their weaver. Janika was saved, but…."

"Poor little mite" said Amrys softly; and the other girls too made little cries of sympathy.

"Exactly" said Otelek. "She – she's a little childish for her eleven turns, I'm told; and I can quite see why. But we're her only family now, and father deemed it best if she entered apprenticeship to give her something to concentrate on, because all the other apprentices are separated from their parents too, even if they DO have kin to go home to. She only just got returned to the Weavercraft Hall in Southern Boll, and the story with her; Father and Mother have gone to collect her, thanks to the kindness of the dragonfolk from High Reaches Weyr."

Otelek's father was Master Braelek, the Sewncraft Master, and Amrys' favourite Master for teaching her favourite subject.

"Oh well, it's only one night; Bretine and I will move into the dorm straight away" said Amrys "If you'll bear us a hand with our kit, sir; it's silly to put her for one night one place and move her straight after. Your parents are almost next door to us after all, with your mother being in charge of us girls and the paying ones too."

Otelek nodded.

"I'll get my skis; go ahead and pack and I'll come over and check that your parents are all right with that."

"Of course they will be" said Amrys "Rillys wouldn't expect any different!"

"Blood obligates, huh?" said Otelek.

"That too; but mostly the way decent people ought to behave" said Amrys with more earnestness than grammar "Bags I the bed by the window again!"

As neither Lyssa not Kevanna had wanted the bed by the window there had been no problem the previous turn; and Amrys had every intention of keeping a first-turner in her place, weyrbred and older than her or no!

The girls' dormitory had originally been a twelve bed dorm, but had been divided down its length to give the original girls' dorm over to the use of the paying students next to Master Braelek and Otaysa's room. Amrys strongly suspected that her six male cronies who slept in the other half would be moved the next turn to make the female dorm into two, senior and junior. These six were Jilamon and his bosom buddy Tirley, three older boys, Jeral, Larek and Kyilin, who were at the bottom of most mischief in the Hall; and the sixth lad was Jerellan, accepted into the midst of the others for his talent. Jerellan was a studious lad who had suffered long illness and had taken up Weavercraft as something to do when laid up in bed; he and Tirley had been considered the most talented boys in the Hall until Nelon came along; who, transferring from another Hall via the weyr, had come too late to fit into the little dormitory.

Rillys was more than willing for Amrys to be a comfort to a poor motherless little girl; and gave Jilamon leave to go over early too if he so wished with Nelon to help him.

"We can be superior at even the earliest new arrivals" grinned Nelon "And reckon Zayven won't want to be left out; his granddad will give him leave to come too, I'm sure!"

The new intake were in fact scheduled to arrive, on the whole, a day after the return of those apprentices as had gone home to their families for the Turnover break; for Master Lynger the Master Weaver of the Hall, had decided to divide the previous turn's apprentices into three groups according to ability and to redistribute them about dormitories accordingly, as the boys discovered when they got there. The first and second groups were the smallest, those who had worked hardest and shown most talent. The first consisted of the two youngest senior apprentices, Zayven and Hetel, and Nelon was an obvious choice to join them. Hetel was above the others; but he was closer in age to Zayven than the other senior apprentices and asked to share a dormitory with them even if he was doing more lessons with some of the older ones. The Masterweaver was also seriously considering putting talented Tirley and Jerellan in with them too; especially as Jerellan was much of an age with Zayven, his illness holding him back from what he might have otherwise achieved. Tirley and Nelon were of an age, and Tirley was quite capable of catching up to Nelon. The boys were excited to be told this as they were stopped from heading to what had previously been their dormitories; and Jerellan was delighted to be given senior apprentice tassels to add to his knots! Zayven was to head that dormitory, since Hetel was something of an extra in the room!

The female dormitory was, as Amrys suspected, to be in two six-girl dorms divided by seniority; though as there were to be only three new girls, the senior half would remain empty for the time being. It made sense; and would mean less reorganisation later!

Amrys was glad to find that she and all her friends would remain togethter in classes, having made it to the second group; that was, Lyssa and Kevanna, Jilamon, Jeral, Larek and Kyilin, two seabred lads called Lalter and Sherek and a boy called Irral who would, Amrys thought, one day make a good journeyman teacher, for he was kind and gave his time patiently to the slower learners. Amrys thought it good that he should be placed in a group commensurate with his own abilities so that he would not be slowed down by helping others, for he really was TOO good natured! Trust the Master to notice that, thought the little girl!

The rest of the apprentices who had not been in, and had in some cases scoffed at, the self help group, would form the third group and would not have the option to drop some classes as the first two groups would, in a move toward specialisation. The first two groups would have no more basic fibre theory unless they decided to specialise in the subject of fibre production. Amrys was in some ways disappointed; for she liked Journeyman Otelek, but spinning, fulling and retting held little attraction for her. She had also elected to drop dying and loom making; she wished to study printcraft, lacecraft and weaving further as part of her specialisation in design and sewing; and she would be learning under Master Braelek the drafting of patterns and tailoring.

That Journeyman Otelek helped his father in these classes was a nice surprise when the Journeyman mentioned it; for Amrys had apologised to him that she would be dropping his classes.

"I too love to sew" he said "But as I am interested in the whole process of turning plant or animal into the fine fibres I sew with, I have taken that as my subject to teach. But I love to work with my father when I am free to do so!"

They were, as they spoke, awaiting the dragon that would bring in Otelek's orphaned niece; making conversation to cover a degree of inevitable nervousness.

Presently a Blue dragon burst out from _Between_, bugling a signal of his arrival; and he backwinged neatly to land in front of the Hall.

Master Braelek and his wife Otaysa dismounted from the dragon, thanking him and his rider and helping down a big-eyed little girl, her hair as dark as that of her grandmother and uncle Otelek and with the same tumbled curls. Otaysa led her over.

"This is your uncle Otelek, Janika, our son, whom I'm sure you remember from when you and your father lived all the time at the Weavercraft Hall in Boll; of course, you must not call him uncle in classes."

"How do you do? I don't remember you very well I'm afraid" the child was polite if terrified.

"I do very well, thank you" said Otelek, gravely accepting the child's proffered hand. "I must say you've grown so much it is almost like meeting for the first time! But I hope that out of lessons we will learn to be a little less formal to each other; because you look so like my sister, and I miss her, even as you miss her as your mother. And of course you miss your father too, who was a friend of mine when we were both apprentices. We who are your family will all be there for you, you know."

"Thank you" the child was close to tears; and Otelek kissed her on the forehead.

Otelek put a hand on Amrys' shoulder.

"This is Apprentice Amrys" he introduced the girl "Who will be the senior girl in your dormitory. She is a nice girl who will be a big sister to you and help you with any problems."

"There's four of us in there that we know and another new one to be coming" said Amrys. "I thought you'd rather be in the half of the room with those in your class than next to me, so you'll be in the fifth bed; and the last one is stuck by the door."

"Th-thank you" managed Janika.

"And Otaysa is living next door but one – well, and Master Braelek of course too" said Amrys "- so she's nice and close for you. NEXT to us are the Ranking paying students, but then, not all things in life can be good."

"Bad child!" said Otaysa comfortably.

Amrys grinned irrepressibly!

"Will you want to spend some time getting to know Otelek or will you come away to the dormitory and meet the other girls?" she asked.

Janika looked bewildered.

"I – I don't know" she said.

"You go with Amrys" said Otaysa "Otelek will bring your baggage. Settle in with the other apprentices, my dear!"

Kevanna greeted Janika politely enough; and Bretine volunteered the information that she was new too. They proceeded to help the little girl to unpack.

Part of Janika's luggage consisted of a host of small jointed dolls, some exquisitely dressed, others more crudely sewn.

"Oh, how pretty!" exclaimed Amrys "Why, they're dressed for different regions – here's you, look, Bretine in Igen costume!"

"My mother dressed some for me" said Janika shyly "When I was very little… I – I remember her by dressing more. Pa helped…." The tears overflowed at this point.

Though Janika was no more than a turn younger than Amrys, the older girl lifted the poor bereaved little mite onto her lap and cuddled her.

"And so dressing dolls will help you remember good times with your Pa too" said Amrys. "Otaysa sews well, I expect she'll help you; and so will I. You'll need to make High Reaches dollies while you're here to add to the collection – a llama herder, a lady jockey, one of Lord Deckter's excessively numerous nieces and so on!"

The little girl hiccoughed and looked up.

"Will you really help me?"

"Of course! Your grandfather is my special Master; I love sewing!" said Amrys. "And I know a woodcrafter – well, he's a Printcrafter now but he's still a great woodcrafter – who can make lovely little dollies to dress whenever you want; but he'll expect you to pay for them because the spare marks he makes go to help children who are orphaned, but unlike you have no family. Or none that want them. Some of his apprentices are orphaned, or have been abandoned because they have disabilities, like Radall who was born without legs. Don't stop him carving, of course."

Amrys thought it a healthy idea to divert a natural self pity to thinking of others even less fortunate!

It worked.

Janika was amazed to hear about Radall!

"Oh! How does he get about? Must he be carried?" she asked.

"No, he can 'walk' on his hands, and for speed he used to have a cart he sat in and pushed it along with his hands on the ground. But H'llon – his Journeyman teacher – made him a chair with big wheels he can turn with his hands" said Amrys "And in that he can even play goalball! He's almost your age now; and he's been H'llon's apprentice – and foster son too really – for about three turns I think. He'll be going to the Woodcraft Hall to confirm Journeyman next turn I shouldn't wonder; Radall's pretty amazing, I'm proud to count him a friend."

"His Journeyman is a dragonman?"

"Yes, we in this crafthall have good friends at the Weyr. If you run out of regional costumes you could dress dollies for all the Queenriders and female Greenriders" suggested Amrys. A good hobby that kept her busy would also help to keep the little girl from brooding!

Amrys went to see Otaysa on her own later.

"She looks delicate" the little girl said bluntly, of Janika.

Otaysa hesitated; and decided to be frank.

"The storm at sea did not break the boat up, though a wave carried away Janir – Janika's father" she said. "But it was dismasted and carried before a bad storm and the child was ill under the Healers of Tillek Hold for the last two months before they judged her fit enough to go by dragon to her family's crafthall. Of course, if people had managed to send the occasional message she could have come straight here and not have to go _Between_ twice, but there you are – it's what you expect of fishermen I suppose, nothing but seaweed between the ears! They say her lungs may be weak for a turn or two; but the air up here is wonderfully dry and clear so we may hope that despite the cold she may improve."

"I'll keep an eye on her" said Amrys. "And tell Bretine to do so in class; and if she looks pulled she must come to you to rest; I expect you'll tell all the Masters and Journeymen."

"You are a good girl!" Otaysa kissed the little girl.

Amrys hugged her back.

"Who would do anything else?" she said "I'm trying to keep her from brooding by interesting her in the High Reaches Weyr childhold, and in dressing more dollies. She needs to grieve but she needs to be taken out of herself too."

"You are a very practical child!" Otaysa praised. "And I thank you; I'm sure if anyone can help that child to settle in, it's you!"

"Aw, wherry teeth" said Amrys; but she was pleased!

Kevanna and Amrys leaped upon Lyssa the moment the child arrived, with Jeral, on Camnath, who had collected them from Ruatha. After thanking R'cal, and giving him a big kiss on the cheek, Amrys dragged her other girl friend to meet the new girls! Lyssa was a sensible little body who took people as she found them; it looked as though the girls' dorm was to be a happy one!

The rest of Amrys' friends were glad to be in a dormitory and class all together; and more than happy to find out that Zayven, Hetel and Nelon were there too, although ahead of the rest, the top two classes sleeping for the time being together. That Zayven would head the dorm occasioned the odd grumble, for Zayven liked to organise things to his own standards of efficiency which did not suit those people who liked to cling to their warm furs as long as possible!

"Soft Keroonian that you are, Larek!" laughed Tirley, the Ranking lad from the same vicinity of Nabol as Zayven.

Larek stuck his tongue out cheerfully.

With Hetel, the dormitory was filled to capacity, containing twelve; and Hetel would have to move if others were promoted. The third dormitory was initially proposed to take those of the new intake who pulled ahead.

It was Master Braelek who proposed honouring the Weyr ties by naming the dormitories by colour; the senior apprentices had Bronze, classes one and two Brown, class three was Blue, the girls were Green and the new intake were White. It was an idea rapidly taken up by returning apprentices who swore to start work on quilts and coverings and adornments of appropriate colours to decorate their dormitories!

"What about the paying students?" asked Amrys "If we called them Gold it's give them airs!"

"Oh, we can afford to flatter the egos of silly girls a little" said Otaysa cheerily "It'll make no difference to the sensible ones; and I've heard enough stories to know that there are Weyrwomen and Weyrwomen" she winked.

"Not at High Reaches" said Amrys seriously "But I guess you're right, Otaysa; 'cos the ones who are constitutionally smug will take it as their due anyway without – without perceiving the inherent irony."

Otaysa his a smile at Amrys' enjoyment of long words; for her words were sensible enough!

The idea that the children wished to decorate their own dormitories would be an activity to keep them out of mischief during long winter evenings still to be expected for the next three or four months to come!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

There were eight new ones to come; Ankevor was already there of course, and Bretine and Janika had arrived early; and another ten-turn old had arrived with his older brother Traal, the gregarious lad from a timberhold in Tillek. Brafor was a delicate lad unsuited to the lumber business, and when he had shown an interest in his brother's craft his parents had been relieved.

"He's spoilt of course" said Traal "Being the baby; and delicate into the bargain. We've two older brothers and three older sisters and he's been made a bit of a pet. But he's got a decent nature for all that and it's hard not to pet him I guess; only he's learned to be lazy. You lot'll help poke him, won't you?"

"Assuredly, if we cross his path" said Amrys. "I'll set Bretine to it; she'll be one of the older ones in the new kids."

"Cheers" said Traal "I feel better able to leave him now and concentrate on my own work; for I'm determined to make it into the second class. Master Lynger said he almost put me up as it was, and how soon I went up was up to me. If I work hard I can drop some stuff to concentrate on dyeing, 'cos I find it fascinating!"

"Oh, we'll help you out with that as well" said Amrys "You are a hard worker; if we can get you over the hump with your sewing and knitting you'll qualify I reckon and can leave them behind forever!"

"Thanks!" Traal grinned.

First of the new ones to arrive was a boy called Sajed, from Lemos; as Amrys said, anyone could pick where he was from as it was a typical Lemos name. He came by Green dragon. He was thirteen turns old and if he was dismayed that the only two new boys yet there were only ten – and already fast friends – he did not show it. Bretine took him under her wing as befitted a future weyrwoman and found him a pleasant companion, in no wise too full of boyish pride to befriend a girl; and she found it worth discussing with him the idea of helping each other to work hard enough to be moved above the babes! Sajed liked that idea a lot; though being with smaller ones did not bother him too much. He told Bretine that he was used to being with youngsters, having three younger siblings as well as four older; but that having friends his own age would be extremely nice, and too move away from the youngsters was a great thing to aim for! When the subject of logicating came up – Amrys commonly told anyone she thought nice about it – Sajed admitted to knowing something about it already, having cousins called Kyal and Sadvia in the Woodcrafter Hall which had its own logicators.

"Oh you're Ranking then" said Amrys "But it's all right, we shan't let on" she added cheerfully "There's four of us with Rank and a Gold Rider's niece; and they don't make an issue of it here thank the first egg, we're just apprentices."

Sajed grinned.

"Good" he said.

Next to arrive was a lad whose appearance made Zayven groan when the boy walked in the main door. The nosier second-turners and seniors lurked on the stairs to watch new arrivals and greet them if they thought it worth while; the new first-turners waited to meet their peers downstairs.

"I recognise him" said Zayven in dismay "Kid comes from Twosprings Hold; whiney little turd with less imagination than a flock of fowl, and all the worst attitudes learned from Holder Bitrul."

"He might have improved" said Amrys optimistically.

Apparently he had not.

Cavan, as the boy's name was, expressed surprise on seeing Bretine and Janika that girls were allowed to be crafters and cut their hair like weyrwhores.

Amrys was down the stairs in a flash and he received a shaking and was told to keep a civil tongue in his head if he didn't want her to arrange for him to meet Thread up close and personal for disparaging those who fought it so bravely since the weyrwomen were more men than he would ever be; and she, Amrys was quite prepared to take him out under leading edge.

Master Lynger turned a blind eye to this; sometimes peer pressure worked better than discipline over bad attitudes.

"She will too" said Jeral, backing up Amrys "She's a mean shot with a flamethrower."

As nobody came to back up Cavan, the boy perceived that here his ideas were universally unpopular – and Amrys universally popular – and subsided into incoherent muttering.

"We of Lemos particularly honour dragonmen" said Sajed "And dragonwomen too; say such a thing in MY hearing again and the dormitory will punish you. You have fair warning."

"He'll do" muttered Amrys to her friends, of Sajed.

Next to come was an eleven turn old from Nabol Hold itself; Arter was a cheerful lad who could hardly wait to get stuck in; and though he was younger than they, Bretine and Sajed exchanged a telling glance, and invited him to work with them to pull ahead. Arter was both pleased and flattered; and readily agreed.

They also invited in a lad called Jaid when he arrived, a boy from Northfork Runnerhold their own age. Jaid had grown too tall to be a jockey and had turned to the craft as a second choice; but as he said, he was lucky to have a good loving family in a Hold with a supportive and caring Holder; and he planned to tithe his earnings when he started making marks to the High Reaches Weyr childhold.

The final three lads to arrive were between eleven and twelve; Asmon was a happy and contented child; probably, Amrys quickly realised, because he had not the wit in him to recognise trouble let alone worry about it; Beric, the youngest at only just Turned eleven, was a lad with a humorous twinkle in his eye and a turn for blurting out comments that made up in honesty what they lacked in tact and discretion; and Brollom, Craftbred at the Harper Hall. Brollom was fascinated by the brocades woven at the Fort Hold Weaverhall. Having been caught taking a loom apart to improve it – and having explained his idea well enough to show its merits to a master tolerant enough to listen – his mother's Weavercraft brother had packed the boy off to the Rivenhill Hall to be near 'that unwholesomely clever Bronze Rider Craftsman'.

Amrys grinned as Brollom explained this.

"You draw your ideas out, kiddo, rather than interfering with other folk's equipment and H'llon will be glad to see them" she said. "He and his apprentices helped build all the looms here."

"Oh, do you know him?" Brollom demanded, promptly elevating Amrys in his own mind to a being to be virtually worshipped.

"Very well" said Amrys. "So behave yourself, work hard, and keep from altering stuff without permission and I'll tell him all about you. You'll never get to handle brocade if you don't work hard anyway" she added.

Brollom was convinced; and vowed to TRY to resist the temptation to lake looms apart!

The last child to arrive was also the third new little girl, Clareena by name. She came from a Seahold in Tillek, like some boys in Amrys' group. Lalter groaned.

"Ah, the tunnel snake in your dorm!" he remarked.

"What's wrong with her?" demanded Amrys "She looks more cowed than otherwise!"

"She's the most awful brat – takes any teasing as bullying and reports it" he said.

As Lalter rarely teased anyone beyond the of cynical remark, Amrys raised her eyebrows at that!

"Well, the kid is my responsibility anyway" she said; and went over.

"Clareena? You're the last girl to arrive, so the others have already chosen their beds; you'll be by the door, no choice I'm afraid" she said. "You'll be in Green Dormitory – the girls' dorm – and I'm Amrys, and I'm head of dormitory. It's my responsibility to help you and make sure you get washed and so on in the morning."

"I'm not a BABY" said Clareena, sullenly.

"No of course not; but some people – though more boys than girls! - need hustling out of bed in the morning, you know. And we share a bathing room with the Ranking paying girls, and whilst they're not supposed to hog all the hot water, if they do you need to tell me so I can take it to Otaysa, our House Mother" said Amrys. "How old are you?"

"I'm twelve."

"Well you're between the other two new ones in age then; Bretine is Turned thirteen and Janika is eleven. Come on; I'll show you to the dorm" Amrys put a kindly hand on the girl's arm.

"Don't you bully me!" cried Clareena, turning to slap the amazed girl.

"What the fardling shards?" cried Amrys, shocked "I was going to guide you, you silly ass!"

"And name calling! I'm reporting you!" the girl ran away.

Amrys could only stare after her, open mouthed!

Clareena returned with the Masterweaver himself.

"Cheeky brat!" gasped Amrys, bobbing a curtsey to the Master.

"Amrys, would you explain why Clareena thinks you have bullied her?" asked Master Lynger, himself mystified.

"I guess because I tried to be nice to her and put a friendly hand on her arm to show her to the dorm" said Amrys "I can't explain or understand why she'd fly at that or think it bullying I'm afraid, Master."

"Did you swear at her?"

"Not hardly, Master! I swore – I said 'what the fardling shards' – as I was taken aback by her, er, reaction" Amrys was not about to sneak about the blow; but she saw the Master's eyes flick to her reddened cheek "And then I called her a silly ass" she added "Which to my mind she was!"

"I see" said Lynger "Amrys has a reddened face. Did you strike her, Clareena?"

"Of course! I wasn't going to have her lay hands on me without retribution!" said Clareena.

"You struck your dormitory head without provocation – for taking your arm is no cause, indeed is a friendly gesture!" said the Master sternly "And she should not have sworn, despite the EXTREME provocation of being hit without cause. Amrys, I will fine you a thirtysecond for your language."

"Yes, Master; I apologise" said Amrys.

The master went on, fixing Clareena with a stern gaze,

"'Silly ass' does not constitute swearing, Clareena; and under the circumstances was a restrained rebuke. Many girls would have slapped you right back! Pray try NOT to make too much of an ass of yourself in future by sneaking about anything, let alone a situation where the only person at fault is yourself; it would be a bad way to begin your apprenticeship. This once I am going to let you off with a scolding for your rudeness to Amrys and to myself in wasting my time; I am going to take it that you were afraid of being seized with cruel tightness; if this has happened to you in the past I suggest you tell Amrys all about it. Now go with her to your dormitory and try not to be such a silly little girl again. Amrys will look after you; she's a forgiving little soul" and he smiled at Amrys.

"Which" as Amrys later said gloomily to her own coterie "Put me on honour to forgive the brat."

Clareena proceeded to whine that the space allotted to her was insufficient; and said that she hoped 'those stupid dolls' of the next bed's occupant would not take up too much room.

"What, turned Gold and want a weyr to yourself, do you?" said Amrys cheerfully. "If you want to be an apprentice you have to put up with dormitory living – however big a cavern you had to yourself at home. The rest of us live with it."

Clareena had not by any stretch of the imagination had a cavern to herself; she had always lived in a dormitory of girls her own sort of age. She had half expected the crafthall to have more facilities however!

Amrys gave the girl a very straight look.

"Look here, kiddy, if Master Lynger is right and you've had experience of others twisting your arm that has made you afraid of any physical contact, in case it turns to hurting, it's a reason any of us would understand if you're touchy" she said "And you'll have my sympathy for one. You don't need to fear any of the girls in this dorm; they're all as straight as straight and a nice bunch who'd have nothing but compassion if someone has hurt you. And y'know, disparaging the hobbies of others is not either the best way to go, by the way, to get attention! The truth about what makes you snippy would be far better."

"I don't need you prying into my life!" flared Clareena "You leave me alone, do you hear? You and these other precious friends of yours!"

Amrys blinked.

"Well you're the strangest kid I ever met!" she said "If you want to be left alone so be it; if you can't speak without being rude I don't suppose anyone'll want to talk to you anyway. But I wager it'll be a lonely life!"

Janika was the next to fall foul of Clareena. Seeing the older girl hunched up on her bed when the other girls came up to meet their new dormitory mate, the smallest girl went over to her.

"Are you homesick? It is a bit strange at first, but the others here are nice. You can hold my dolls if you like!"

Clareena turned and glared at her.

"Why would I want to hold your stupid babyish dolls?" she said "Get lost, brat!"

Janika stared, her big eyes dark with hurt.

Amrys frowned.

"If you thought being called a silly ass was being sworn at, how then do you class calling a smaller child a brat?" she demanded. "And you on the subject of being bullied when you straight away bully the kid? If you act the bully, my girl, we'll treat you as such!"

"I'M not a bully!" declared Clareena.

"No? Disparaging another's hobby – and in the nastiest way – that I had already spoken to you about; and telling someone who is trying to help you to get lost, and calling her names smacks of bullying to me. Girls, Clareena told me she wants us all to leave her alone. I think it best if we do, save for necessary communication, until she can keep a civil tongue in her head. Clareena, if you have problems you may tell me about them; otherwise until you feel like growing some manners in the manure you call your brain, we would rather you did not speak to us any more."

"That's fine with me!" said Clareena.

Amrys slept badly worrying about the new girl; and was called to order for yawning in Master Rakul's lacecraft class. It was a rare enough occurrence for the Master to ask Amrys if she felt all right or if her head was troubling her again.

"No, Master, it doesn't often" said Amrys "It seems to have healed; I slept badly, is all. There's something on my mind; may I be excused to talk to Otaysa? I'm doing no good here."

The Lacemaster nodded; Amrys was trustworthy and would not be using this as an opportunity to skive.

Otaysa took one look at Amrys and sat her down with klah.

Her question was much the same as the Lacecrafter's.

"Is your head bad again?" she asked sharply. Since Siresha, one of the paying students, had caused Amrys to bang her head badly the little girl had suffered occasional headaches.

"Not like that" said Amrys "It's more a headache of a different kettle of fish if I may mix metaphors. I'm worried about Clareena; and I'd really like some advice. I didn't sleep much worrying about her."

"Tell me about it; it need not be official" said Otaysa.

Amrys did, with great relief.

"It's so STRANGE" she said.

Otaysa nodded.

"It's plain someone has hurt the child so that she bites like a mouth-spoiled filly" she said "Well, if she won't talk about it there's little you can do. A little bit of being ignored won't do her any harm – perhaps being lonely will make her open up more. Stay alert for any signs she wants to talk, won't you, dear; and I'll get her to help me and see if she'll chat to me."

"Thank you Otaysa" said Amrys. "I suppose what worries me most is that she'll say something nasty and upset Janika" she added with a sigh "Janika's just a kiddie and pretty vulnerable right now; and I suppose too that I'm afraid if Clareena does say something nasty that I'll lose my temper in defence of Janika."

Otaysa hid a smile at Amrys' air of being Janika's elder by turns.

"Janika must learn to stand on her own feet" she said "And your support will help her. TRY to keep your temper dear; you're pretty good at it on your own account. Let us hope that Clareena sees the camaraderie and kindness between the rest of you and warms to it. If not? Well then, I shall have to speak to the Master about putting her in the infirmary out of your way during her apprenticeship; we can't have her upsetting the rest of our girls."

"Thank you Otaysa; it's nice to know that if we CAN'T get anywhere we shan't be stuck with her for five or six turns" said Amrys. "I don't think I could stick it; and Janika certainly couldn't. Reckon even Lyssa would have trouble! Clareena bullies by being a bump on a log!"

Otaysa smiled at the expression.

"Well, we shall see; just do your best" she said "And, young lady, you are going to bed for the rest of the morning on my bed: I'll sit with you with my mending and chat if you can't sleep; but I'd like you to try to."

Amrys was amazed to wake up three hours later with her noon meal brought to her on a tray!

She felt MUCH refreshed as well as easier in her mind – as she cheerfully confided to Otaysa! Otaysa smiled. That had been the idea!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The other girls proceeded to ignore Clareena utterly, which should have pleased that maiden: but their cheerful chat of what they were going to do to add green furnishings to their dormitory left her greener with jealousy and resentful that they bullied her by leaving her out. She was determined to pay them out somehow!

The opportunity came when, as the others were chatting together with their male friends discussing a toboggan run, Clareena found herself the only child in the common room the apprentices used as a combination sitting room and hobby room. The girls had left patchwork and knitted squares neatly stacked for when they returned to leisure work; and the jealous girl snatched up all the green work and cast it on the merrily crackling fire!

Half aghast at herself she ran down the stairs and outside to join the others; a snowball fight had started in an impromptu fashion, and she watched in horror as Amrys and Jilamon pounded each other with snow. There was no doubt about it in her mind; Amrys was rough and a bully! What names she called that boy! Clareena watched in satisfaction as Jilamon leaped on Amrys and stuffed snow down her neck.

"OOF" said Amrys "Peace! I cry Peace! You win, you big oaf – you've been growing on the sly!"

Jilamon laughed and got off her, extending a hand to help her up; and in another shock to Clareena draped an arm about his foster sister's shoulders. Amrys grinned at him; then glanced at the sky. It had a coppery sheen to the clouds in the west and was coloured like a bruise above.

"Snow in half an hour" said the little girl laconically. "Let's get in; I've knitting to finish besides."

"Rugs for your dorm?" Jilamon asked.

"No, I'm doing a layette for the new baby; but I'd already picked green for a girl 'cos I reckon it WILL be a girl and green's not TOO girly if I'm wrong, not like yellow or pink."

Clareena hung back as the other apprentices went laughing into the warm room.

That the girls' work was gone was the first thing apparent to them; then Bretine gave a gasp and pointed wordlessly at the charred remains of knitting in the grate.

Janika burst into tears; and so did Kevanna. Bretine, Lyssa and Amrys went white; and Amrys swayed, giddy and sick with reaction. Jilamon put a supporting hand under her elbow.

"Why who could have done anything so MEAN?" he cried.

"None of our lot" said Larek "First, second OR third; they're a bonza crew. But we know who hates the idea of girl apprentices" he turned his gaze on Cavan.

"I never!" said the boy "It wasn't me!"

"No?" asked Sajed "Who else would attack the girls in so mean and bullying a fashion?"

"It wasn't me! I swear – I'll swear in BLOOD if you want!" said Cavan.

"Does he have an alibi?" said Amrys quietly.

"What?" said Cavan.

"Where were you, and with whom were you after you came out of your last lesson?" he voice was tight and controlled "I'll not condemn you without proof; if you can show you could not have done it, that clears you."

"I – I came out late; Master Telarish was explaining something to me" said Cavan.

"Yes, how not to lark about with poisonous dyes" said Arter. "I seen him come back from the dye house; and I caught him a nifty one in the face with a snowball too."

"If he came out late and took part in the snowball fight he's exonerated" said Amrys. "The stuff was here at the beginning of the last period; I asked permission to fetch the crochet hook I'd left in here."

"Did YOU do it, Amrys?" asked Clareena, spitefully. If she could only turn the others against the popular girl!

"Talk sense, you little idiot" said Jilamon, while Amrys gaped at so ridiculous accusation. "Why would she burn her own hard work on our babe's layette? And why should she burn anyone's work for that matter, let alone her friends? It's an act of insanity! Only a real MEAN would damage ANYONE's work! And you've been here long enough to know that Amrys is the least mean person alive!"

"She is so, mean!" said Clareena "She turned the others against me!"

"Wherry teeth!" snapped Bretine "YOU turned us against you by bullying Janika in front of us. Now dry up; we need to get to the bottom of this, not bellyache about your imagined wrongs!"

"Clareena, did YOU do it?" asked Amrys.

"I? Of course not" lied the little girl "I was putting my things away until I came out and watched you get your deserts by having snow shoved down your neck."

Explaining where you were seemed to be important; and they could never prove how long she had taken.

"There's no choice but to go to Master Lynger about it then" said Lyssa "This level of spite means it's not sneaking, I think – does everyone agree?"

There were murmurs of assent.

"I'm the oldest now Jerellan's in the senior apprentice common room" said Jeral "I'll go. Amrys, you'll come too?"

Amrys nodded.

"I suppose so" she said reluctantly "I can't see it being a senior doing it; which mans the culprit MUST be here. And you know, I'd rather have whoever it was own up and explain whatever was in their crazy head than that we should involve the Master. Even staying quiet about it is living a lie you know."

"Could have been one of the drudges" said Cavan "Thinking that they ought to be allowed to get above themselves like you girls are."

Sajed slapped him across the back of the head.

"That's for disrespect" he said.

"Besides, you flat-footed, half-witted dung-ignorant dimglow" said Kyilin "The drudges are Craftbred; and have the opportunity to be apprentices when they're young if they want to, so they're not hardly going to be jealous, are they? They had the choice already. Like me; my parents are drudges, so don't you fardling well disrespect the support staff neither."

"Anyone want to speak up?" said Amrys. "No? Jeral, don't you think we should give it overnight for someone to talk to you or me or their dorm head if they don't want to speak out in front of everyone?"

"Well I say that's pretty big of you" said Jeral "But I agree it's better not to involve the Master. All right; meet me right before breakfast. If no-one's come forward we'll see the Master then."

Amrys turned soberly to pacify Janika who was still sobbing.

"At least most of you have only lost a few days work!" she said, trying to sound bright "We can soon make it up with hard work; there's still all the sketches. The perpetrator wasn't stupid enough to destroy Crafthall property by destroying notebooks."

The perpetrator had not thought of it; and would not have realised the implications if she HAD thought of burning the notebooks! She squirmed and was glad she had not burned Hall property!

"You've been working on that layette for a couple of months haven't you, Amrys?" said Kevanna.

"Yes" said Amrys "And my initial reaction is to wring the neck of whoever had done this. But whoever it is must be a truly sad little tunnel snake to WANT to hurt people so; I'm trying my hardest to be sorry for them."

"Well, sure, and that's more than I am!" said Lyssa, her Ruathan brogue intensified and her eyes flashing with anger "I'd like to see the nasty little creep thrown out of the Hall and sure, I'd like it to be from the top floor and during Threadfall!"

"Well I guess if someone is so nasty AND a n'egregious liar into the bargain they're not worth keeping" sighed Amrys "You can't bring the craft into disrepute by having the dishonest in it; and it IS dishonest to do so sly a piece of spite! I don't understand it; bullying I know all about – Jilamon and me both from our respective blood-sires; and I can cope with that. Sly meanness is out of my knowledge."

"I've come across it" said Bretine. "A candidate for our last Gold egg was sly. She pretended to be friendly with people then passed unkind comments behind their back, trying to win the favour of the Bronze Riders by putting down the other candidates. Mind, there's no flies on our Bronze Riders and S'sher threatened to spank her. And Crysoreth wasn't fooled either and picked Larissa who's a decent type. This other candidate also thought it funny to hide people's possessions if she didn't like them and swore blind she'd stolen nothing. G'narish threw her out in the end; and he DID give her a good thrashing for having stolen the stick of a Rider injured by Thread – he'd all but lost one foot to it – because she'd called him an annoying little brat. She got to walk home in company of some rather malodorous traders and their ill-tempered and worse smelling burro."

"Serve her right" said Amrys "I like G'narish already! He could technically have sent her to the Eastern Isles; 'cos that constitutes an attack on a dragonrider!" she added, "Here, Janika, there's still some more of that nice fabric you picked for your cushion cover here in the rag bag; I thought there was. We've time to cut another before supper!"

Supper was an unwontedly sober meal; little was said, though the others of Brown dormitory quickly shared what had happened with Jerellan, Hetel and Zayven.

The Masterweaver noticed the mood of his apprentices, of course.

"Do the junior apprentices have anything they wish to tell me?" he asked.

Amrys stood as spokesman.

"With respect, Master, we hope NOT to have to tell you anything; if we do, please might our representatives see you right before breakfast tomorrow?"

"Very well; I will be in my study if you need to talk to me" said Master Lynger, wondering what was going on that could leave the redoubtable Amrys looking so subdued and upset! However, with such information the Masterweaver had, overnight, to be content.

The girls went soberly to bed early; the shock had been exhausting.

"If any of the boys wants to confess he can jolly well do so to one of the other dorm heads" said Amrys.

Clareena went with them rather than look the odd one out; but she did not sleep.

Amrys was not given to emotional outbursts; but it should be recorded that she did cry bitter tears into her pillow; and at least one subdued sob was audible to the wakeful Clareena. All of which should have made the vengeful girl's heart fill with delight; but somehow it did not. The girl was also reflecting on the scorn in Bretine's voice when speaking of the girl who had pretended friendship and then said mean things to others – it was not FAIR to compare her to a rotten girl like that, the sort ALL other girls turned out to be!

Clareena eventually fell asleep in sheer exhaustion; and Otaysa herself had to rouse her and the others.

"Whatever is wrong with you girls? Another midnight feast?" she demanded.

"But no, Otaysa; someone burned all our hobby work on the fire yesterday" said Kevanna, used to treating the woman like a spare aunt.

"I am so glad I did not have my dollies there or the porcine who did it might have burned all my memories of mama and papa!" said Janika "But oh! Grandmamma I did feel SICK at such unkindness!"

"I should think so indeed!" said Otaysa indignantly, giving the littlest girl a hug and a kiss "How mean and unpleasant! You have reported it?"

"I'm going to on the way to breakfast unless someone has already confessed to their dorm head" said Amrys "It was an attack on us girls; and girls only. But the only boy I can think of it who might have wanted to can alibi himself, backed up with an eye witness."

"Well, you girls need to be strong" said Otaysa. "I'll see all the masters and journeymen know why you're all rather low; they'll make allowances for the lot of you."

Naturally, Otaysa assumed that Clareena's work had also been included in the outrage!

Amrys met with the other dormitory leaders, Sajed, Traal and Zayven as well as Jeral; and all the boys shook their heads.

"'Course that dimglow Cavan said it was a load of fuss to make over what was bound to be inferior work from girls so we gauntleted him a couple of times with knotted drying cloths" said Sajed grimly "And I pointed out he'd better shape up or ship out. Where'd he come from – the stable of a llamacot accidentally brought forward by the Oldtimers?"

"Twosprings Hold" said Zayven grimly "I escaped the place; but the atmosphere's not good there. Holder Bitrul'd have been glad to kiss Fax's arse before Lord Deckter threw him out after he irritated the Weyr so much they threatened to withdraw cover from his hold."

Sajed whistled.

"It takes some doing to piss off a Weyrleader that much!" he said "Well, I guess it takes time to change attitudes; we'll do our best with Cavan. One way or another."

"Don't let it cross the line into systematic bullying" warned Zayven.

Sajed nodded.

"Thanks for that tip – I'll ask advice if I may if I think we might be going too far."

Zayven nodded.

"Good. I suppose as I hie from there once I should make myself responsible for the little snake but I can't see him without wanting to shake him. Oh well, let's not put it off; on to the Master?"

The others nodded soberly; and they went to the Master's office.

Master Lynger listened to the tale with horror.

"This is horrible" he said "You had no choice but to come to me with this, my children. I WILL ask amongst the support staff's children in case it was an honest accident or a thoughtless and childish act; and then I must ask every apprentice in turn – including your own dormitory, Amrys, for girls can do the oddest things – if any has done this or knows who has done it."

Amrys nodded.

"That little ass Clareena accused me of doing it myself, of course" she said "She's really got it into her head that I'm a bully, and obviously a snivelling cowardly tunnel snake too to do such a thing. As if I could!" a big tear rolled down the side of her face before she could stop it and she dashed it away with an impatient, boyish gesture.

"My poor child! And you were knitting for the new baby, weren't you?"

Amrys nodded.

"And in moss stitch at that…it's warmer but it takes so infernally long" she said "And the completed leggings and dress gone as well as the jacket I was working on because I'd taken them to show Lyssa and Kevanna… I – I'm fit to strangle whoever did it!"

"But you won't my dear; because I ask you not to" said Lynger gently, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Amrys gulped and swallowed, nodding.

"I won't, Master" she promised obediently.

The Master was solemn at breakfast; and called on everyone to remain once that had finished eating instead of dismissing them as usual.

Each apprentice, including the seniors, were called up to the Master's table and asked if they had perpetrated the act. Serry was furious; he was surely KNOWN for his good character and attempts to keep the brats in check; and asked the Master if that did not count.

Lynger regarded him coldly.

"Ready as you are to sneak on minor mischief, Serry, apparently you are not capable of catching a real troublemaker in the act" he said "And from my standpoint you are one of the people who has made the most vitriolic comments about the juniors which makes you a strong suspect. Just answer the question."

Serry was fuming; but did as he was told. Lynger thought the boy too angry to dissemble; but in fact he did not discount the possibility of Serry doing something of the kind as 'proof' of the irresponsibility of the younger apprentices.

Nobody owned up; for seeing what was coming Clareena lied quite smoothly. Any agitation in her manner was no more than that of the rest of the unhappy little girls and she managed to pass through the questioning without trouble.

"Very well" said Lynger "I have already determined that the children of the support staff and younger children of the journeymen were accounted for during the time period involved; all were with the Hall Harper. Therefore it has to be one of you; one of you has lied to me, your Master. Since we have never had anything so terrible happen before, I must say my first suspicion falls on the dozen newcomers. I WILL be investigating further; and I assure you that unless the perpetrator of this filthy act comes forward they will be expelled the Hall when I find out of my own accord."

The apprentices departed soberly for their lessons!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Between lessons, Amrys settled stubbornly back to the tedious moss stitch layette; when she was not helping little Janika with her green cushion cover. The child had wanted to sew green sequins onto a printed dragon; and if Amrys thought it might look a little overdone she said nothing.

Journeyman Hetney came into the common room, and the children rose promptly, wondering what the knitting teacher wanted.

He motioned them down again and came over to Amrys.

"I did the jacket to the pattern you were using because it's the most complex piece" he said kindly "I know you'd rather do it yourself, but time runs out so fast…if you've time to redo it and want to, you can send this one to the childhold."

Amrys hugged him!

"Oh Journeyman Hetney, you're a ROCK!" she cried.

"You'd worked so hard and you're a good little daughter to your mother" Hetney flushed slightly "You should be encouraged."

He nodded; and went out. Amrys was fighting back tears of emotion.

"Was that a payment for favours then?" sneered Clareena "Practising to be a loving wench like your mother?"

Amrys, once again, could only stare.

"What are you on about?" demanded Bretine "And what foolishness have you got in your head now? – no, Jilamon, we girls will deal with this" as Jilamon bounded to his sister's side, eyes ablaze.

"They have different fathers – she admitted it, and that their fathers beat them!" said Clareena "So her mother MUST be a loving wench!"

Amrys began to laugh. It was slightly hysterical laughter; but it was still a laugh.

"How can you laugh when she's so insulting to Rillys?" demanded Jilamon.

"Because she's taken facts out of context and made such a total mess of putting them together" said Amrys. "How could I but laugh at the daft way she's reasoned?"

"Will y' listen t' this, ye poor prune" said Lyssa "And listen well, fer I'll say it only this once so I will. Jilamon and his brother Brown Rider T'mon are adopted by Lady Warder Rillys and her husband Holder Corbin, who's her second husband and who's sired this newest baby that's coming and little Corrys too; and I'm thinkin' that ef ye cannot be getting' yer facts roight 'tis keepin' yer stupid mouth shut is what ye should be doin' f'sure! Ye've had yer knoife inter Amrys from day one when ye attacked her and it's sick av it all we all are; and sorra any speech at all will ye be getting' from the rest av us from now on, for we'll be 'sending ye to Southern' completely I'm thinkin'!"

"And we boys shall do likewise" said Sajed. "And we'd've done so even if Lady Amrys' mother HAD been a loving wench; for to make spiteful comments after her suffering such a shock is the outside of enough! You can't have lost more than a few days' work, she's lost MONTHS! What was burned of yours, anyway?"

Clareena was beet red; to be caught out so thoroughly and be so far off in her surmise was bad enough; that Amrys, on top of being popular should be Ranking was too much! And of course she had not had any work burned!"

She muttered something incoherent and rushed off.

"Eejit" opined Lyssa in her own idiom.

"We didn't show her much sympathy for anything she lost" Amrys' conscience smote her.

"Sure, and was she not just fiddlin' around playin' solitaire with half a pack of dragon poker cards whiles the rest av us was busy?" said Lyssa "It's half guilt the daft creature feels because she'd nothin' on the go" she glanced over at Clareena's own spare time work of the last few days, the start of an aggressively red scarf. "It's not wanting to join in jollyin' up the dorm she was, and if she started that scarf it got missed fer not bein' green I'm thinkin'."

"Oh HOW I do not understand that girl!" sighed Amrys!

Clareena had nobody but herself to blame for being 'sent to Southern'; even apart from the spoiling of the other girls' work that they did not know was at her door. But she sobbed bitter tears for all that.

If the truth were told, her animosity towards Amrys stemmed partly from the other girl's very popularity; Clareena had some muddled idea that popular girls were unkind betrayers of those who liked them. The little girl had had something of a 'crush' on a slightly older and better off girl in her seabred dormitory; and had been petted by this girl, Bettana to her face. Coming back quickly from an errand one day, Clareena had heard her idol saying scornfully that 'Clareena was such a besotted little fool that she could be made to do anything.' Adoration had turned to anger; and she had flung in with angry words, to be laughed at, effortlessly have her arm twisted and be spanked with the other girl's slipper; and told that if she wasn't going to make herself useful any more she should instead make herself scarce.

Thereafter it amused Bettana to pinch and poke surreptitiously; and to encourage her own idolising coterie to do the same! As Clareena had once been one of her pinchers and pokers – to a trader's girl who stayed a couple of nights and refused to worship Bettana – there was a bitter irony in that. Clareena had begged her parents to be given an apprenticeship to get away. She had some idea that apprentices lived in single accommodation and that there were so few girls in crafts that she would rarely see any. The self-introduction of a girl who had left a large and laughing group had made her assume that Amrys was just like the dangerously charismatic Bettana; who was able to charm adults too. It was beginning to dawn on Clareena that Amrys was not using people the way Bettana did – she never sent Janika running errands the way Bettana would have – and was liked by strong minded girls and boys, even those not of her own 'set'. Even so it was hard to break out of the stubborn dislike for fear of being used again. So poor Clareena desperately interpreted the girls' irritable dislike of her as 'proof' to herself that Amrys had set them against her. Even strong-minded, weyrbred, pretty Bretine had been turned against her classmate; and how Clareena would have loved to have become the friend of the daughter of a Brown Rider! Or even of Amrys herself, that so many people seemed to go to with their woes from the scraped knee of a five-turn-old mite, some Craftbred child, to Master Braelek begging her to help him unravel some embroidery silks that one of his firelizards had been playing with! And Amrys herself had two firelizards too! Amrys seemed willingly to bathe knees, kiss sticky faces, unravel silks, loan pens and give pithy but sound advice.

It was too much.

Clareena stopped talking to anyone; they weren't listening in any case.

Amrys watched a tear fall on knitting ravelled and reknit too many times over the last couple of sevendays by Clareena.

"Clareena!" said Amrys "This has gone on quite long enough. We're at the edge of bullying you by keeping you in Southern so long. Won't you start again? You mistook my intentions and it all got right out of hand. We girls all need to stick together – especially if we have an enemy here! Come over by the rest of us and tell us if you like our efforts for the dorm – even if mine are a little desultory!"

Amrys was using up odd ends of green wool of different shades to crochet squares for a blanket, in short periods when she had not time to concentrate on the complex patterns of baby clothes.

Clareena flushed.

Surreptitiously watching Amrys working patiently, seeing the love in her face when she spoke to the others of her baby sister and the baby that was to come with the spring was bringing home to Clareena the enormity of what she had done; and she felt horribly guilty. But she craved the companionship.

Slowly she came over. Amrys gave her a quick smile.

"Reckon you've known some pretty beastly girls; like I said before" she said.

Suddenly it all tumbled out; about Bettana and her charm and her using. The other girls listened in shock.

Bretine nodded.

"I suppose I'm less innocent about rotten girls than some of you – seeing candidates come and go" she said.

"Reckon I've seen a few too" said Amrys "And what about Siresha?"

"Sure and isn't she just a hog of the first water, not a kind thought in her body but not clever enough to be a spiteful piece like this Bettana creature" said Lyssa.

"Siresha whacked Amrys so hard just for asking politely if we might get past to bathe that Amrys was knocked out and still has headaches" Kevanna explained to the new ones "Only unfortunately Otaysa managed to get her to apologise so we're lumbered with her until the Turn is up – shards Amrys, I bet SHE was the one who burned our work!"

Amrys' eyes flared. Clareena half opened her mouth, but Amrys was speaking grimly.

"I promised Master Lynger I'd keep my temper in check and not strangle whoever did it, but….if Siresha did do it I'm going to punch her nose so hard she'll never get a husband it'll be so ugly!"

Clareena's half formed resolve to confess vanished; Amrys' anger after a tentative drawing of her into the group would be terrible!

"Sure and don't ye think Master Lynger would not have thought of her? 'tis her and Serry are the only people in the whole of Pern would go out of their way t'do you and ill turn, Amrys; t'my mind 'tis a woman hater and aimed at us all" said Lyssa.

Amrys calmed down and gave a rueful laugh.

"Oh there's others like me less than you lot do…. I'm no favourite of Journeyman Benor because I don't go out of my way to give him the level of respect he thinks he deserves for his mediocre accomplishments; then there's the little snot that Zayven. Jilamon and me pulled out of the ice when he went through it; and his wherry headed friends don't like me at all for I didn't mince my opinion of THEM I can tell you!" she said.

"What's that? We've not been hearing that story!" protested Lyssa.

"Oh it's not much of a tale!" said Amrys, and made a funny tale of the show-off who ignored thin ice signs and had to be landed, floundering and gasping like a packtail. Even Clareena laughed! Amrys grinned at her.

"Oh that's nicer" she said "You're so pretty when you smile; it's worth doing more often instead of pulling faces like a constipated wherry."

Clareena had started to draw back; Bettana had been free with compliments. The second half of the sentence however was so unlike Bettana that she laughed again, half in surprise, half in relief!

"I wish you'd told me earlier about that little tunnel snake, you prize prune" said Amrys "We could have avoided all this ill feeling; or you could have told Otaysa you know!"

"But if you were like Bettana it would have given you something to tease me with" said Clareena "And if I'd told Otaysa, well, grown ups were fond of Bettana and told her things about the girls in her dormitory."

Amrys was much struck.

"I hadn't thought of that!" she said "Though I guess it's a pretty poor house mother who passes on stuff told her in confidence! It didn't occur to me to think you'd avoid telling me stuff in case I teased you because I know I'm not some fork-faced sour chittering wherry kite of a tunnel snake so I guess I never realised you'd assume I was"

"You'll get fined for language if you don't watch it" said Kevanna. "Fork faced? That's ASKING for it!"

"I'm ALWAYS being fined for language; and most of the time it's worth it" said Amrys cheerfully. "It goes to the childhold anyway, so I don't care; it's a worthy cause to be fined over."

Once the childhold had been explained to Clareena she felt almost like one of the others; and even started to venture ideas for cheering up the Green Doritory, including plaited rugs to be warmer on the toes than bare boards first thing in the morning!

"I know how to peg rugs but plaited ones are quicker and easier" she said.

"Right; we'll start collecting green ends and rags to sew together" said Amrys "We can take it in turns to hold ends while others plait; you design 'em, Clareena, which pieces should go together, and direct the making of them. They're at least a two person job each I'd say."

"They are" said Clareena. "They look so gay though."

"And warm toes too!" grinned Kevanna.

"Heh, at last we have underfloor heating – courtesy of H'llon" said Amrys. "Diverting the flues to warm the dorms was a masterstroke as we're not trusted with fires; he really is unnaturally clever, bless the man!"

"Why was a dragonman involved?" asked Clareena, mystified.

"Oh, 'cos he's next thing to being adopted brother of T'lana and my mother was milk mother to her little Felgarra – my baby brother had died – so we've a close friendship with the weyr an I'm the same age as T'lana's fosterling Sagarra and H'llon's always happy to help build things for friends" said Amrys, glossing over why her baby brother had died. She tried not to think about that terrible time too often, when her father had accused her mother of playing him false and beat her until the baby came early then killed the babe as he still lived. Crazed with jealousy he had doubted Amrys' own legitimacy and had forced her and her mother to drudge, even though her mother was weakened with punishment and birthing. No-one here knew the full story save Jilamon; and Amrys planned on keeping it that way. She added, "It's why I joke about being a little bit weyrbred; I spent time there with mother fostering with Sagarra while mother fed Felgarra. Sagarra's my best friend ever, 'cept she keeps on at me to go for Impression and I really just don't have time!"

"You'd find time if you did Impress" said Bretine.

"Oh I suppose so; and I love dragons and I guess I could face Thread up high but I prefer the threads we weave" said Amrys. "Be fair, if all the girls with two thoughts to rub together went off and Impressed, who'd run the men of Hold and Craft?"

The others laughed.

Rillys and Corbin formed a close partnership; and Amrys never showed any signs of truly bossing the boys!

Clareena went to bed that night almost happy, despite her nagging conscience; and in consequence slept better than she had done since she had arrived.

As a further consequence she was more alert in classes and her mentors actually started wondering if the girl might stay the course after all!

As Bretine and even little Janika now started coming to her aid if she faltered, with a quiet word or a demonstration, Clareena felt for the first time too that she might indeed succeed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Traal meantime had worked hard enough for promotion to the second class; and Master Lynger declared that to make it fair all senior apprentices would sleep in Bronze dormitory regardless of their class. Seven was a better number than four anyway; and would permit room in Brown Dormitory for two more boys besides Traal if any really picked up speed and worked hard enough. It was probable that by spring the four hardest workers of the new ones would have pulled themselves up to nearly equal the less able in Blue Dormitory; though in Bretine's case that would make no difference to her sleeping arrangements. Janika too might one day be capable of surpassing her age group; but the Masterweaver had warned his masters and journeymen not to let the rather frail little girl push herself too hard.

As those of the third class of the first intake were, generally speaking, amongst the youngest of those that had arrived the previous turn things were starting to average out quite well; Bretine, Sajed and Jaid at least would be of an age with or slightly older than them, and if Arter was younger, well, so too was Nelon in the top group. Master Lynger was starting to consider having a Bronze A and Bronze B group, the latter for those of considerable talent and expertise but not mature enough to give senior apprentice tassels to. There would be those who would aspire to it soon enough with hard work as wel as those with talent beyond their turns; for Amrys was only twelve and a hard enough worker to bring herself on faster than her fellows even though she was not so talented as Tirley and Jerellan. And Tirley himself was no older than she, the Masterweaver reminded himself! There were eight available dormitories; one given to the paying students, one to the girls. If there were an upper and lower Bronze for the talented young, and upper and lower White to give an upper form for the new intake who pulled ahead and were prepared to take accelerator classes to move quickly into Blue – or to take those he felt needed holding back a turn with extra coaching from a previous Turn's intake – that left Blue and Brown for the middle ranked apprentices. It should work very well. And something of the nature of upper white would do for someone like the boy Lysax who HAD to be put up to the third class when the new ones came though he was scarcely adequate. And Lysax was already fourteen.

Master Lynger sighed.

The boy was disobliging, sullen, only nominally capable at some things and not the hardest worker. He would have to talk to the lad; for if he did not improve he must go when the full Turn was up. When this Hall was better established the Master felt that perhaps he could afford to put more resources into slow or recalcitrant boys; but not yet, not unless they were prepared at least to show willing.

Master Lynger was not even sure if the boy Lysax could even SPELL the word 'willing'.

Working on decorating their dormitories had kept the wilder spirits out of more spectacular trouble; pranks from Jeral, Larek and Kyilin had been of a minor nature and scarcely disturbed routine at all. The fitting of cow bells and cymbals to the big loom scarcely counted at all.

Lynger had punished this minor vandalism by sentencing the culprits to wear a cowbell throughout the daytime for a sevenday as they so enjoyed the music.

Needless to say the three were heartily sick of the music by about the third day. Especially as Ankevor and Brafor moo'd at them every time they went past.

It is noted that the younger boys' respective siblings threatened dire consequences if they continued to disrespect their seniors, who had been punished by the Master and needed no extra reminder.

What dire consequences were to fall the pair preferred not to find out!

"Which means" said Traal to Kevanna "At least we don't have to think of anything to do to them."

In all, the Hall settled down to being happier; for Cavan was learning many lessons too. That his work was not up to the standard of two of the despised girls in the class was an outrageous shock to him; and that his hidebound ideas engendered reactions from indignation to hilarity from boys who were patently not weak or effeminate was another. It was not in Cavan's nature to admit to a fault, even to himself; but he was dithering over changing his way of acting to fit in, for to Cavan, fitting in and not being different was the sweetest ideal.

Clareena was much happier; but still a victim of her own conscience. And one night while the blizzard howled outside her sleeping mind heard in it Amrys' heartbroken sobs over her baby sibling's spoiled layette.

Amrys herself, nearest the window, roused as the shutter rattled and sat up, wondering whether to risk opening the window to secure it; when all thoughts of shutters were driven from her head.

Otaysa had decreed that the girls should have a shaded glow basket because of Janika's tendency to awaken coughing; and in its soft light Amrys saw Clareena's figure rise from the bed, eyes wide open and apparently unseeing and head for the door.

"Clareena?" Amrys said softly.

Clareena appeared not to have heard her.

Amrys leaped out of bed, dragging on a robe, grabbing a heavy shawl to follow the little girl. Clareena was headed down the passage past the infirmary and into the opposite wing to the apprentice common room.

The fire had been covered but there was still a little warmth in the room, for which Amrys was profoundly grateful. Clareena sat down and began solemnly knitting without needles or wool.

Amrys hesitated, unsure what to do; and her decision was taken from her by the door crashing open and Serry looming in.

"AHA! Caught you red-handed!" he cried.

"SHHH!" Amrys put a finger to her lips "You mustn't startle her –she's sleepwalking!"

"A likely story!" Serry sneered, bounding over to grab both girls by the arm.

Startled out of sleep Clareena shrieked; and screamed and screamed in pure terror.

"Clareena! It's all right dear! It's only stupid Serry being dafter than usual!" said Amrys reachingout to take the little girl's free hand. It was as cold as ice.

Serry slapped Amrys hard.

The blow was witnessed by the several Masters, Journeymen and assorted wives who had poured out of their rooms to see what the noise was about.

"I caught these two apprentices up to trouble with as lying a tale as ever can be!" said Serry self importantly "It's that brat Amrys of course; she's always at the root of any trouble."

"You stupid ass!" flared Amrys "Of all the insensitive, dimglow, wherry-headed fork-wits I ever came across, Serry you are the greatest! Otaysa, please, Clareena needs the infirmary, make him let go of her!"

"Oh yes? And if she's ill what's she doing HERE?" Serry sneered.

"Sleepwalking! I TOLD you!" said Amrys.

Otaysa had come over to Clareena and bobbed down to put her arms around the little girl, shushing her; and firmly removing Serry's hand from the child's arm by dint of bending back the fingers until he had to let go.

"Well Serry? Did she warn you?" asked the Masterweaver coldly. He also stared at Serry's hand on Amrys' arm until the boy sullenly let go.

"Oh she told her usual lies" said Serry "I didn't believe her, of course; she lies all the time, and puts on airs as though she's somebody."

"Serry" said the Master "I have tried to warn you. Your interference and blatant stupidity do nothing but make you a laughing stock amongst the youngsters. Now your idiocy has potentially caused a serious illness in a child. You may leave in the morning for Southern Boll to request a stint with a journeyman who needs a helper with moderate competence where there are no younger apprentices to hinder – uh, help with."

Serry gaped.

"But…but that'll delay me making journeyman, Master!"

"I doubt you are EVER going to make journeyman" said Master Lynger "Until you take time to learn to take more notice of your own business than that of other people. How is she, Otaysa?"

Otaysa had lifted Clareena onto her lap and was rocking her gently.

"I can't really say if there has been lasting damage Master" she said "But she's relaxed now and half asleep. I'll give her some fellis presently and I hope she'll be none the worse. What was a big boy like you, Serry, doing out of bed anyway?" she asked tartly.

"Yes, what WERE you doing out of bed?" asked Lynger.

"I heard a noise. Footsteps" Serry said sullenly, staring at the floor.

Master Lynger looked quizzically at the bare feet of the two little girls.

"S'funny, Serry, 'cos all I could hear was blizzard" said Amrys. "I woke 'cos the shutter was rattling and I saw Clareena; she didn't make a noise walking and I don't think I exactly clumped 'cos I didn't want to disturb her you know. I followed her, Master; and I was wondering what I ought to do when that clodhopping oaf bursts in like the Fax in a strolling player group and about as melodramatic. And I TOLD him to 'sh and that she was sleepwalking but he's too daft to recognise it or to listen to sense. Reckon if you dropped Thread in his ears it'd die of starvation in the hollow between them!"

"A little picturesque" murmured Lynger not bothering to reprove Amrys on her intemperate outburst. "He slapped you?"

"I was rude" said Amrys "Because I was upset about him shaking Clareena to wake her."

Otaysa narrowed her eyes; and passed the almost sleeping child to her husband. Then she stood up and slapped Serry hard and regarded him, arms akimbo.

"How dare you manhandle any of my girls?" she demanded "Especially a sleepwalking one? Your ideas of civilised living are not what I call decent, boy! Now get out; and we shall all consider in the morning what you might have been doing creeping surreptitiously about the Hall to the bad example of the morals of the babes!"

Serry opened his mouth to protest; but shut it again; and left. Braelek carried Clareena, now swaddled in the shawl Amrys had brought, to the infirmary.

"Bed for you Amrys" said Otaysa. "Do you want me to heat you some milk to help you sleep?"

"No thanks; I'll be off well enough now she's safe" said Amrys cheerfully "Thanks to H'llon my feet aren't even too cold! Poor kiddie; she was busy knitting with nothing. Reckon she's working too hard to make up for being a wet idiot for the first few sevendays."

"More than likely" said Otaysa. "You people have got her sorted out anyway; the Master won't send her home if she doesn't make the grade, not so long as she's willing to try."

Amrys nodded and left her to slip back into her own dormitory. As she prophesied, she was soon fast asleep, her own conscience being quite clear!

Clareena stayed in the infirmary for a couple of days; and cried with a mix of emotions when the other girls visited her with little gifts to make her feel better. And when she was allowed back into lessons, people were all kind to her, from the masters to the youngest boys. Even Cavan was civil! The poor child's feelings of guilt were even worse over this. That she was listless, however, nobody wondered at; it was only to be expected if she had made herself ill with overwork!

It turned out – though Master Lynger did NOT pass the information on to the youngsters – that Serry had taken it upon himself to patrol the corridors late at night, in the hopes of catching apprentices at naughtiness.

What the Master thought of such egregious officiousness, allied with the detriment to the boy's own health and studies, Serry soon learned; and that the Master also considered Serry's overbearing attitude an invitation to the apprentices to try to make a fool of him.

"And they don't need to try very hard because you make a fool of yourself without their help" said the Master. "So pompous an air in a boy of thirteen turns newly made senior might be expected; but in a lad of some seventeen turns is merely childish."

Being called childish hurt far more deeply than being scolded for interference; for Serry had always prided himself that his attitudes had been more adult than the laxity of some of the masters and the journeymen!

No-one was sorry when the boy was gone; and several youngster – most of Brown Dormitory in fact – were fined heavily a whole quarter mark apiece for singing the words 'I gloat' to a tune by Menolly, whilst doing a wild celebratory dance. It was a chant introduced by Nelon; for it was a weyrling chant invented by one Carina to celebrate the comeuppance of a bully.

Clareena actually came in for a fair amount of vicarious popularity for being the vehicle by which the unpopular Serry was dismissed!

Clareena might have managed to find courage to confess with the brief period of unusual popularity; but Janika managed to pick up a cold which turned to a cough and Otaysa was more concerned about her granddaughter's ill health than in noticing Clareena's discomfort; and Amrys too was seriously worried about the little girl, to whom she had drawn so close. Janika ran a high fever for several days; and the whole of the girls' dormitory was sombre and worried about her. Winter seemed to be dragging on; though as Amrys pointed out, dry cold was probably better than a potentially wet spring anyway.

It was, of all people, the boy Brollom who caused the next concern; he forgot his snow goggles when going out to play; and made the ill-considered decision not to go back to fetch them even though the sun was bright, on the principle that surely winter sun could not hurt him.

The boy hailed from Fort Hold, from the Harpercraft Hall; where snow occurred only lightly, and where the altitude was not so great as across much of the High Reaches. He had no idea of the blinding whiteness of snow in a high alpine area where the sun shone with fierce intensity through the thin dry air.

The flare of red mist that started to develop did not concern him straight away; he played on, shaking his head slightly; then suddenly he looked up and screamed in terror!

"What is it?" Zayven was quickly there "Where are your goggles?"

"I forgot…. I can't see, it's all red!"

"Well, you prize prune, one follows from the other, obviously!" said Zayven "Do you think it's a Hall rule to wear them because the Masters like to see us looking like wherries with staring eyes? Here, Hetel, help me get this idiot back to the infirmary; you're in for a nasty few days my lad and serve you right!"

"Will – will it get better?"

"Of course – but you'll see red mists for days and have to have your eyes bathed in warm salt water every couple of hours" Zayven had taken the lad's arm to guide his shaky steps back to the Hall. "Really, with Janika ill you might have had more consideration than to give yourself a self inflicted wound like that you ass!"

Brollom, inclined to be sorry for himself, was much chastened by that blunt assessment!

The result of that piece of stupidity was that the Master announced that if apprentices could not be trusted to wear snow goggles for their own safety, the non wearing would be punished by loss of leisure time outside whilst others played; and even if the culprit could produce them straight away there would be a heavy fine.

"Your craft depends on your sight" said the Master crossly "You do NOT take stupid risks to destroy your most precious gift!"

"He really was waxy" said Larek later on.

"Quite right too" said Amrys. "You'd not go out in midsummer on Keroon's plains at midday without a hat, would you?"

"No, of course not. Oh. Same thing I suppose!"

"Quite" said Amrys. "Boys! Really, I wonder if half of you were born without brains and the rest spent your leisure hours picking what few you had out of your ears and noses!"

"Now, f'sure that is HARSH!" said Jeral "And I'm thinking so I am there's enough brainless girls about t'be making it more than a trifle unfair too!"

Amrys laughed.

"Well all right; I concede that!" she said.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

With still short days and inclement weather, Master Lynger was keen for the apprentices to have as much fresh air and possible; and the rule was that on fine afternoons they would go outside and catch up missed lessons in the evening between klah-and-cakes and supper. The apprentices appreciated these concessions though many sighed to bend over looms or sewing or knitting after overdoing their exercise!

Once the new skiers started falling over less, the aches reduced; but it was still tempting to do too much on the few days they might get out!

Janika being on the road to recovery, the girls had taken her out for a brief sled pull – Otaysa felt the fresh air would do her good – and had returned her to her grandmother, glowing with good fresh air and more alert than she had been, before they took themselves off for exercise. The boys had organised themselves meanwhile into two teams; which consisted of Brown Dormitory and such worthies of Bronze as cared to join in children's games – which was most of them – playing against the combined efforts of Blue and White dormitories. The more senior boys built a snow fort and the others were busy storming it. The Ranking girls stood around – at a safe distance – watching.

"Well it's too late to join in" said Amrys philosophically, watching Ankevor, attempting a flanking movement, being dragged bodily into the fort and captured; and Kyilin, having attempted a sally, run squealing with excitement back to the safety of the fort to be heaved over the side by willing hands to prevent his own capture.

"Walk down by the river?" suggested Kevanna.

"Why not?" agreed Amrys.

They had barely turned to the river when the little girl gasped in horror.

The sky over the western mountains was like shades from all dragons, predominantly harsh golden yellow and purply brown, with an all over metallic bronze sheen.

Amrys turned and cupped her hands over her mouth to give a quick yodel for attention; then she yelled,

"BLIZZARD! RUN INSIDE!"

Otelek, supervising, glanced over; and blew his whistle to reinforce her shout. Amrys grabbed the two nearest hands; she knew not whose.

"Hold hands and RUN!" she said.

"But why?" asked Bretine, though doing as she was told "It's going to show, but…"

"You've never been out in a blizzard. Don't talk!" snapped Amrys. It was hard going running on the frozen snow; there would be no breath to talk as well!

They were perhaps fifteen lengths from the Hall; and the first whirling, teasing, confusing flakes were on them before they had gone five lengths. Clareena tripped over a hidden stump and fell, gasping with pain and dragging on those whose hands she held!

"Kevanna, Lyssa, get to the Hall!" snapped Amrys "Bretine, you're taller, help me to chair her!"

Lyssa knew better than to take offence in being sent ff and grabbed her other friend by the hand to outrace the full fury of the storm. Bretine wordlessly made a chair with Amrys to lift the white-faced Clareena; and they struggled on.

With a shriek the blizzard was on them, buffeting them, surrounding them, nothing around but falling snow, yet the flakes swirling, sometimes even seeming to go up not down!

Amrys was grim faced; more than any of the others she knew that, as white-out descended on them, it was possible to walk right past the end of the Hall, or circle round and end up on the icy river! Yet they must not stop – for to stay still was death.

"Clareena, stay awake" Amrys spoke sharply, for the cold would more quickly strike the immobile girl; and the confusing swirl of the snow flakes, now all they could see, paradoxically dark against the all enveloping white, was hypnotic.

"I – I am so sleepy…." Clareena said. Her voice was barely audible in the scream of the blizzard.

"If you go to sleep you'll have to walk and make the pain keep you awake" Amrys shouted urgently "You MUST stay awake!" her own head was aching badly as the flakes danced and whirled. "Bretine, your right hand…is that the wall?"

Bretine, struggling dully on, reached out.

"Yes!" she said.

"We almost missed it by going parallel to it!" Amrys gasped. "Bretine, she's passed out; I have to keep slapping her….feel your way along and bring grown ups back to us!"

Bretine nodded and stumbled her way along the wall, disappearing from view almost immediately.

Amrys pulled Clareena into her arms and shook her.

"You MUST stay awake!" she said.

"You should let me die…it's all my fault!" moaned the other girl.

"Silly! How can the weather be your fault?" Amrys shook her again.

"No….no…the knitting….I burned your baby sister's clothes, I burned it all…I was so jealous…. I couldn't tell you but now I'm going to die I don't want you to wonder about the others…"

"Well you were a poor prune and no mistake!" says Amrys. "But you're NOT going to die! I shan't let you! It's all right, 'cos you're sorry about it!" Amrys had a moment of insight, realising that it was guilt that had sent Clareena sleepwalking in the first place. "C'mon….you must get up, we'll work our way towards them…. It'll be easier here in the lee of the wall…."

"I can't!" Clareena gave a little moan.

A grey shape loomed up.

"Girls?" the voice was muffled.

"Otelek! Oh Otelek, I think she's passed out!" said Amrys.

Otelek stooped to pick up Clareena passing her to someone behind him; then he picked up Amrys.

"I guess I could walk" the little girl said.

"But you need not" he said gently.

Amrys was sleepy, desperately sleepy; and knew enough to fight it until they were in the entrance hall, the lights of the glows a sudden shock after the white gloom of the blizzard; and sudden warmth.

Then she too passed out.

The two little girls knew nothing of being rubbed with rough blankets to get their circulation going, and being put into hot baths and straight to bed after that in the infirmary; so it was a surprise for Amrys to awaken in such unfamiliar surroundings.

Kevanna's mother Ellaia was keeping watch.

"Hello!" said Amrys. "What time is it? Kevvi and Lyssa did get back all right, didn't they?"

Ellaia smiled and put a finger to her lips.

"Yes, they're fine and so is Bretine; the Healer let her sleep in the dormitory. You and Clareena were the ones that gave us some concern though!"

"Poor kid, she twisted her foot" said Amrys, the memory of the more serious soul-pain of the other child coming flooding back to her too. "I say, has she been jabbering in her sleep about stuff?"

"About burning your work? Yes, the poor child is worrying most dreadfully."

"Oh dear!" said Amrys "Then the Master knows; I have to get up, Ellaia, and ask him not to send her away; 'cos she's not bad really, you know, just hurt and stupid and a bit of a coward."

"You stay right where you are young lady" said Ellaia. "The Master has no intention of sending her away; he reckons she's punished herself quite enough. And if you know about it and are prepared to forgive, she can stay here without any problem. The others are NOT to know; you are the one who lost most work."

Amrys nodded.

"And they're such kids too" she said seriously "Reckon they might not be able to see through the meanness to the reasons."

Ellaia hid a smile.

Amrys was the second youngest in the dormitory.

"I can talk to her and tell her it's all right" said Amrys "And I think the Master should tell her he's not going to send her away too. It'll make her sleep easier, you know!"

"Well after the frights and alarums you children have given him I fully intend to let the poor man sleep at least until the sun rises – or the time it ought to I should say – before I rouse him" said Ellaia "He's only just gone to bed and it's fully three hours before dawn!"

"I can go to her though" said Amrys "Where is she, behind the curtain?"

"No, that's Brollom; she's in the isolation room" said Ellaia "And no, he's not hearing any of this because he's well dosed on fellis to let him sleep through the discomfort. And you will lie down and rest for another hour and then eat breakfast or I will declare you feverish so you may not get up today. She's ill but not in such crisis that we need make YOU any iller!"

Amrys made a face; but there were tones of voice that one did not brook.

Clareena was tossing feverishly, moaning about Amrys' baby sister freezing to death in the blizzard because she had no clothes. Whether she had taken on Amrys' own conviction that the baby was another girl or whether she was confusing the unborn babe with Corrys it was impossible to say. Amrys did not care.

She scrambled into bed beside the little girl and took her hand.

"Listen to me, you poor prune! The baby has PLENTY of clothes my sister has grown out of! I was knitting an extra! And with the coat Journeyman Hetel made I'm almost done replacing it! Baby is going to be fine. We're ALL fine. And you've got to stop fretting and get on with plaiting our rugs!"

"Clareena my dear you will NOT be expelled" said Master Lynger "You must get well, my child; it is a new start for you!"

Amrys had filled in the Master and Otaysa on Clareena's previous experiences; she had previously treated it as a confidence, thinking it none of their business, but with the child's illness, they needed to know!

The matter of fact voices seemed to soothe Clareena; and once the fever abated somewhat the Healer was able to give her some fellis to sleep deeply.

When Clareena awoke, Amrys was sitting with her; predictably knitting.

"Ooh! Oh Amrys! You – you know – I did tell you?" Clareena cried out.

"Of course I know you clunch!" said Amrys "That brat Bettana really addled your yolk; I'd like to give her a fardling good shaking and a piece of my mind! Don't worry about what your silly self did; I've forgotten it. It wasn't my friend Clareena that did it, but a crazy mixed up kid hatched by a cruel tunnel snake called Bettana. I'm on the last bit of the cap, see?" she held it up. "And baby will be fine – and so will you!"

"The Master said he'd throw out whoever did it – does he know?"

"Yes he does; you talk in your sleep" said Amrys "So Otaysa heard it all and Ellaia; but he knows it wasn't really all your fault and he knows that you're dreadfully sorry, 'cos you are, aren't you?"

"Oh YES!" said Clareena fervently.

"Well, that's all that counts. Anyway, you already confessed to me outside; so he didn't have to find it out for himself because you did the right thing, even if it was a little late" reassured Amrys. "So he doesn't even have to go back on his word! 'Course you may be held down a turn; but there'll be no disgrace in that, everyone knows you've been ill which is the only real reason. I mean, you've partly made yourself ill 'cos you were worrying over not coming to me earlier; but the blizzard didn't help and we can let people think that's why you're ill. Plus the supposed overwork that everyone thinks made you walk in your sleep. That was worry too wasn't it?"

"Yes I suppose so" said Clareena "And – and you'll even still be my friend?"

"'Course I will" said Amrys. It had cost her some soul searching to be able to say that in a careless and friendly tone; but Amrys was not vindictive. And she knew – better than most! – how living at the mercy of a bully could make one feel quite addled! "Just promise me faithfully you'll never ever lie to me again" she added seriously.

"Oh I shan't!" promised Clareena, equally seriously "It's much too uncomfortable living in a lie!"

No accident had befallen any of the other apprentices; the 'old hands' had learned something in the previous turn of how the weather could change at a moment's notice; and had swiftly herded the new intake in, holding hands, with Jaid as a whipper-in, as Jeral said, for being used to the weather and well trained at Northfork by Tragen. A few youngsters had scoured cheeks from the first blast of the blizzard but nothing serious; the older ones knew to cover their faces quickly. So now did the new ones, if only from painful experience!

"We WORRIED about you!" accused Janika when Amrys was released from the infirmary into the tender care of her own friends.

"Oh can't have that!" laughed Amrys "It's YOU we're supposed to worry about!"

The shy little girl had settled in well enough to laugh at such teasing!

Kevanna was inclined to sulk a little because her friend was giving attention not only to Janika – which was fair enough – but to visiting Clareena in the infirmary, and who had been no friend to them at first! What was really rankling with Kevanna, however, was the picking of Bretine to help with chairing Clareena.

Kevanna had enough sense to get it into the open.

"Why didn't you ask me to stay with you to chair in Clareena?" she demanded "We've been friends the longest! Must you always choose weyrfolk over others?"

Amrys gave her an impatient look.

"Come and stand beside me" she said. Kevanna did.

"See?" said Amrys "You're more'n half a head shorter than me. And Lyssa may be as strong and a Ruathan burro but she's shorter yet, for all that she's older'n us. I'm a lanky piece; and Bretine's about my height. It's nothing to do with friendship; it's about common sense. We wanted to LIVE not play games, you know; and if I'd had to tire myself bending to your height, chances are we'd still be out there, 'cos we only just had the energy to make it as it was; and then three sets of parents would be mourning right now!"

Kevanna burst into tears.

"That's a cruel way to put it!" she accused.

"Cruel? It would be cruel of me to let my friend die because I chose her tender feelings over her life!" said Amrys. "You KNOW what the weather's like here; grant me the common sense I was born with and dry up do! You're my friend; and nothing's going to stop that unless you push me away by acting the crazy caprine at me!"

Amrys might have been a little blunter than she would have been had the first two and a half months of the Turn been a little less trying; but she also had learned that Kevanna needed blunt!

Kevanna cried; and Amrys gave her a hug.

"It's been a bit of a tempestuous start to the turn" she said with her usual litotes "When spring comes we'll all feel much better!"

Master Lynger certainly hoped so too!

Still, problems had been overcome; and with Amrys' knowledge of local weather, and a quick reaction to shout, no lives had been lost. But for all that, Lynger could not help having nightmares where all the boys – and especially the girls – had been unable to get in and were lost in a blizzard! At least the mystery of the burned work was solved; the Master had been wondering if he should have no option but to ask if a dragon would visit and read if truth was told or no as he re-questioned all the apprentices. Poor child, that Clareena; but Amrys would take care of her.

Lynger was fond of Amrys.

She was by no wise his most talented student; and nor was she precisely docile and well behaved! But she was a hard worker and filled with more common sense than many an adult. It was a shame, in a way, that when she was of age, in the reckoning of a local conclave, she must be confirmed Lady Holder of Rivenhill. Lynger would have liked to have seen her attain Mastery and teach in the crafthall!

He sighed.

At least he could probably persuade Lady Warder Rillys and Holder Corbin to let Amrys make Journeyman before she had to Hold.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The blizzard blew itself out after a long three days; and it had scoured all the snow off the ground with it, leaving a depressing brown behind where any buried vegetation had also been scoured.

Amrys looked out uneasily.

"East in the wind; it'll thaw tonight" she said.

"Is it safe to skate?" asked Jeral.

"I'd not like to say so" said Amrys "We don't know how thin the ice was scoured; and it's heaps warmer than it has been!"

The Master issued a decree that skating was forbidden on the strength of Amrys' doubts! He had every faith in the little girl's experience.

And during the morning's lessons he was to be glad the hardy souls who ventured out before lessons had not been permitted on the ice; for there was a loud report that echoed through the whole Hall.

Several people cried out in fear.

"Is it an avalanche?" cried Kevanna.

Amrys looked up.

"River ice breaking up" she said laconically "Permission to go round and explain to the other classes, Master Braelek?"

"Granted" said the Sewncraftmaster. "And Lyssa, you take half to tell too."

Some of the younger ones, not used to a large river, were scared; and enough of the older ones too! The Ranking girls were distinctly nervous, though trying to hide it; and one of the cooks begged to know if the whole of Pern was breaking up, shaken by the Red Star! It was typical of Amrys that as well as other apprentices she thought of the peace of mind of the support staff, all natives of Southern Boll! Quick reassurances earned her a surreptitious pastry and lots of kisses, once she had reiterated that she had heard that same sound turn after turn with no ill effects!

After the snow came rain; torrential rain and no more play outside for a while for it was quite impractical.

"At least it drowns Thread" said Amrys, determined to find SOME good in the weather!

Several people threw things at her.

Nelon received a visit from Blue Rider T'rin; who first spoke long with the Master, then demanded the borrowing of Amrys and Jilamon too.

T'rin was not known to mince words.

"You scrubs know of Nelon's unfortunate experience with a certain Master at another Hall" he said "And the fellow's encouragement of his own son to sneak."

"Rorik's at the Weyr but they don't listen to sneaks there" said Nelon as the others nodded; they knew Nelon had gone to the Weyr on Search largely to escape the bullying he received from Master Varik. T'rin went on:

"Well, Rorik's been learning a thing or two, and he's had a long chat with the fosterling of a friend of mine who's also standing as a candidate – the fosterling that is – and Rorik seems to really be trying to find himself. Now, after he's stood this time, if he fails to Impress he'd be out, normally; so he'll be coming here instead of going back to the Hall at High Reaches Hold. And I want you three squirts to give him every help, and put the past behind. Can I trust you to do that?"

He received three solemn nods.

"Good kids" he said. "Now if he DOES Impress, then he'll come here at some point as a smokeless weyrling, in a turn or so I guess to confirm as Journeyman; and the same then applies."

"Give him our good wishes sir" said Nelon "He's been bullied all his life I reckon worse than his father bullied me;there's something sick about a man who bullies his own children. Say we understand, won't you?"

"Us especially" said Amrys grimly "Jilamon and I both know from the inside how it is to be bullied by our fathers you know!"

T'rin ruffled her hair fondly.

"I'll certainly pass on your good will" he said, planning to pass on the children's words verbatim, tone for tone; for it would encourage Rorik, struggling to accept a sexual preference his father would not approve of; that had made him vulnerable to being made into a sneak in the first place for his feelings of being different. This the kids need not know; that they accepted that the boy wanted to improve himself was sufficient!

Amrys had begun work knitting a coat for the baby; if it was finished in time it should go with the rest; if not, Journeyman Hetel's would go and this one she would finish for the childhold. She was also planning items for sale for the Summer Gather, weaving strong twill – she was working with two heddles now – for belt pouches she planned to embroider, as gayer than plain leathern ones. She also planned to make simple yoked tunics for children out of hard wearing cloth but printed and trimmed on the yokes with her own designs. Time was set aside for the apprentices to work on such projects; and of course she wanted too to show willing on decorating the Green Dormitory! Her nimble fingers had deftly cut dragon shapes from green fabric, that she appliquéd onto a pale green ground; backed, and with cotton wadding it would make a fine quilt, very gay, and with relatively little work. If she had extra time she could always embellish the dragons with more embroidery; or use the trapunto method to add wadding under the each dragon's body so that they stood proud! That would look nice, Amrys thought, putting away her thimble after a busy morning's sewing.

The loud rumble in the distance had several of the more nervous apprentices on their feet.

"If it reaches this far the Hall will stand" said Amrys calmly "It may take a while to dig us out but it's braced against avalanche. Pass the bread."

"You take it so calmly!" said Kevanna.

"We need to be well fed when we go out to help" said Amrys. She stood and raised her hand. "Master, we will follow tradition to join the search parties won't we, if they want us? Those of us who know the mountains?"

The Master blinked.

"If that is the custom in this region then of course" he said. "That was an avalanche then?"

"Yes sir; about five miles away I'd guess. There may be people cut off from home, injured and so on. The Weyr'll be out of course; but they need groundcrews too."

The Master nodded.

"Very well; all who are mountain experienced, finish your meal and get ready; the kitchen shall pack you food and klah for yourselves and any casualties you may find."

"Water also sir; streams and springs may be muddied" said Amrys "And not just for drinking, but to wash wounds too."

He nodded.

"Otelek? Braelek? You'll lead a couple of parties?"

The Journeyman and his Master father nodded.

The groups were just getting ready to leave when Holder Corbin was announced.

"Ah, Master, I see you are kind enough already to lend us some volunteers; thank you" he said. "The dragon report is that it is some six miles west of here; a long trek by foot but we've been offered transport from the Weyr to closer to. I need not remind any of you, need I, to keep your voices down to avoid setting off any other avalanches?"

It was a reminder without being obviously so!

The apprentices going were Zayven, Tirley, Lalter, Sherek, Traal, Jilamon, Amrys and Jaid. Otelek had rejected the other willing volunteers as insufficiently experienced this turn.

"Doubtless your turn will come another time" he said kindly "When you know more. But you can help prepare beds for if we need to offer shelter for any who are made homeless by this."

Lalter, Sherek and Traal worked well together; and Braelek would take those, and also Jaid. Zayven, Tirley, Jilamon and Amrys would go with his son; two pairs also used to working together.

"Next turn we'll all be fairly good" said Amrys "We can go for proper mountain climbs in the summer to get some skills at an easy time of turn; and then learn about snow walking in harder conditions after the first snows."

"Should we be roped together?" queried Lalter.

"I dunno about the rest of us, but you ought to be roped together, Lal" quipped Amrys. Lalter was growing and currently looked as though all his limbs were joined together by guess and only had a common purpose by accident! Lalter swung a lazy mock blow at Amrys' head.

"Horrid creature!" he said.

The dragons – Tanath and Vorth – set the Weavercraft volunteers down near the bottom extent of the avalanche; and most gasped in horror. The dirty scar of tumbled mountain was an obscene score down the valley, half filling the alm above.

"We're on up to the alm first to see if there's any signs of life" said Y'lara. "It's too early for anyone to be there but some brave it all turn round." She jumped onto Tanath and was off.

"Could you explain that, Amrys?" asked Otelek "It went by a little fast for me."

"All the High Reaches depends on herdbeasts of one kind or another" said Amrys "Cot and Hold; and in spring the herds are taken up by a few people, who take the herds, especially bovines, of all the local cots or all the Hold to the sweet high pastures of the alm. Caprines are often taken up daily, needing more exercise, often by lads about our age or even younger. The remainder of the cot community or Hold farm fields in the lower regions where crop plants grow better. When there are long winters it's a hard time, for the cattle won't grow fat on the sweet alpine grasses and flowers. The herdsmen go up in the fourth or fifth month and come down in the ninth, and they make cheese and butter up there too and lassi to drink. That's why High Reaches cheeses are the best on Pern and why there's no dish like clotted High Reaches cream and alpine strawberries. But it brings its own dangers. Let us, sir, circle round that way" she pointed "There's a path to a lower meadow where cothold children might have taken caprines to search for early greens. The avalanche has cut off the path."

They proceeded along up the path, Amrys making soft but carrying yodels.

Presently a canine of scruffy appearance ran down the track and stood, whining.

"He wants us to follow him" said Amrys. "Good boy! Show the way!"

The animal bounded off, checking from time to time that they were still following; uttering encouraging and urgent whines. It went up the very side of the avalanche.

"Stay well to the side of that tumbled debris" warned Otelek "We don't need to set it off again with any of you in the midst! I don't like the way that daft animal is bouncing stones off either."

"Don't see how we can stop him short of trying to catch him and tether him with a scarf" said Amrys "Reckon it'll be all right if we stay out of the path of what he disturbs; he's not heavy enough to set off a big slide."

It was a stiff climb; the avalanche had taken the path of least resistance which had also once been the easiest path up; and naturally climbing its rubble was unthinkable.

Still the dog whined and waited for them.

The sun was wan; and starting to go down when Amrys gave a quick, cautious yodel.

"Yellow in the rocks" she said "Could be a garment!"

Otelek took the rope off himself and carefully roped them together.

"One of us must climb over" he said.

"I'll go" said Amrys "I'm lightweight to hold on to and I've done this more than any one of you; it's my home."

"I'll be your anchor" said Otelek.

Cautiously the little girl scrambled across to the edge of the tumbled rocks.

"There's an outcrop of rocks; I think someone sheltered under it" she called softly. "Otelek, I need your strength over here to shift rocks; I'm just not big enough. But if you can make a hole it'll get in air and I can wriggle in to reassure anyone trapped."

Otelek did not like it; but he knew the little girl would do what she thought was right. And he knew she WAS right.

"Secure the rope to the top of the outcrop if you can" he said "Then we can both attach to that and not be dragged off if the footing goes."

Amrys nodded gave him the time honoured 'thumbs up' to indicate her understanding as she hastened to obey, banging in the pitons to secure the rope to. All the time the canine was running round and round in circles, whining, pulling at the bit of yellow cloth.

Otelek swung across easily and fastened on to the safety line Amrys had rigged.

"I don't give much for the chances of this one" he said grimly.

"But people do survive the most incredible things" said Amrys "We have to try!" she turned to Jilamon "Send to T'mon and ask for standby evacuation" she said.

Jilamon nodded and scrawled a hasty note to his brother that he fastened to the collar of his little blue firelizard. Amrys' pair, Saph and Em, were 'helping' with the digging, joined by Otelek's brown and green.

Otelek himself eased away a particularly large boulder and Amrys scooped away any dirt that poured down behind it; and for this operation the firelizards were actually more helpful than otherwise. The girl in the yellow gown was breathing – barely. The smaller boy crammed against the natural rock outcrop was tearstained and scarcely conscious.

"All the air's out of the snow this time of turn" Amrys grunted "C'mon kid, wake up; it's mountain rescue here. Here, have a swig of klah; I need you out of there so I can see to your sister."

Obediently the child swallowed from the proffered flask; with fresh air coming in his colour improved dramatically. Amrys half lifted him out to pass to Otelek. The journeyman swung him across and up the broken mountainside to the three boys who crouched above. Amrys wriggled into the place the boy had been, wrinkling her nose at the smell of his fear left behind.

She looked at the girl's face and the rocks still half covering her body.

"I don't give much for her chances either" she said in a small voice. "I think she's bleeding inside, journeyman; and I don't know if Master Oldive can mend it or not."

She was lifting rocks as she spoke, passing them to Otelek to lay down carefully to avoid starting another slide.

"Denth is here" said Otelek "I've slings to pass to you from T'mon to get under her when we've cleared the rubble."

"Tell T'mon to get to the Healer Hall with her before he even got here" said Amrys.

"You KNOW going _Between_ time doesn't work that way sprout" T'mon's own voice floated down "It wouldn't give the Rider or passenger any more time just for going back in time somewhere else; it'd only put excess strain on her body."

"I didn't mean that…YOU know what I mean, it was just a short way of asking you to get there soonest!" said Amrys. "I'm clear down here; putting on the slings. You heft on my mark T'mon and Otelek and I will guide her up, out round the overhang."

"On your mark, aye" acknowledged T'mon.

"Mark" Amrys tightened the last sling, working fast without skimping. Otelek was doing the same by the girl's feet.

The ropes tautened; and the still body lifted. Amrys swung it to clear the overhang while Otelek kept the ropes from fouling, keeping them straight above. T'mon called,

"Is she clear?"

"Clear aye!"

"Stand by and stand away; taking off!"

Denth leaped forward as well as up, the sling dangling beneath him; and vanished immediately _Between_.

"No other dragon's that neat" said Jilamon proudly.

"How's the boy?" Otelek called.

"Frightened, in shock, hungry, thirsty" said Zayven. "I have him wrapped in a blanket feeding him soup and bread; and his hound is here too eating bread and sausage like there's no tomorrow."

"Good; we can carry him down between us normal method" said Amrys "Save the dragons for the worst hurt. They'll've set up a Healer centre for minor wounds at the bottom by now I wager; Journeyman, should you take him down while the rest of us scout on?"

"No, I'll not leave you without an adult. Zayven can be in charge of Jilamon and Tirley to take the kid down; can he walk Zayven?"

"Yes; and we can take turns giving him a pick-a-back or making a chair" said Zayven. "You and Amrys are the best mountaineers. We stay put at the bottom?"

"Yes, unless they need you to join another team" said Otelek. "Ready, Amrys?"

Amrys nodded. Her eyes were clouded with tears. The journeyman laid a hand on her shoulder.

"We did our best. If she can't be saved, she was given the best chance – because you knew what to do. And if we hadn't been here the boy would have died of bad air before much longer."

Amrys nodded.

"I just keep wondering, if I'd left lunch to leave quicker…"

"You would not have been in such a good state yourself and tying up a dragon by needing rescue yourself" said Otelek grimly. "And you might not have managed to reach the boy and rescue him. We could not have left earlier; the Weyr had to mobilise you know, and we were ready as soon as the Hold was. Finishing eating was the right call."

Amrys nodded.

"I know that really, sir, only…."

He nodded and flicked her cheek sympathetically with a finger.

"Only you feel you should be able to rescue everyone. You have still made a difference. Now! Tell me about how the herders cope on the alm with Threadfall."

"Oh there are cots up there to shelter and live in….sometimes they're built against the cliff sometimes dug into it, sometimes a bit of both. It's so cold in winter few people stay up there all turn round, even in caves it's cold. And besides you can't easily keep the animals; they can't graze because of snow and the winter fodder is grown down in the valleys. Some people come down when Thread is due and spend a day down in their main community; but going down and up isn't ideal because the trek runs all the hard-won fat off the herdbeasts going back up, and even more so when they sense Thread is close because they sweat with fear and lose flesh in pounds for fear of being outside!" she explained "Most herders bring them into byres, more caves usually that stand empty all winter long. Plenty of travellers use them as shelter from the weather or Thread if they have a need to go over the high passes in winter – or more usually on a long trip to a big spring gather. It's not done to lock almcots. Sometimes Holdless are not careful about leaving things as they found them if they need winter quarters; but most are. It means they're less unwelcome. It's considered courtesy to cut as much firewood as you've used before moving on" Amrys explained "And to leave something in kind to pay for any emergency rations you eat. Most almcots have some oatmeal and perhaps a hard cheese and some klah left; and sometimes some jerky too and a string of onions. The weather is the enemy up here more than anything else; and most people behave reasonably you know!"

"It's good to learn about the economy of our new home" said Otelek "And its customs too."

"I'm glad it IS your home now!" said Amrys sincerely.

_A/N alpine pasture farming is probably as old as the domestication of cattle in regions where it occurs; the short intense summers produce particularly succulent herbs and grasses making the taking of cattle up to the high pastures worth while for the summer. _


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Apart from several stray caprines – probably the herd under the care of the girl and boy – they saw no more signs of life. Amrys tempted the beasts with a wrinkled apple she had in her rations; and tied them all firmly together.

"No point saving the boy if he's then to starve" she said practically "Besides, their milk will be handy at the Healer station; and they're all due for milking. And no harm in us having some ourselves to keep us going" she added "The klah's all gone."

Deftly she stripped milk from the teats of the leading nanny, offering it to Otelek. He drank gratefully, making only a slight face at the unaccustomed strong flavoured milk before handing the rest to Amrys.

She drained it with every appearance of enjoyment.

"Was there klah left in yours? You made a face" she said.

"I'm not used to caprine milk" he explained "Only bovine."

"It's much nicer than bovine milk; more body to it" said Amrys. "Oh dear, I suppose it's what you're used to is what you like; maybe it is an acquired taste."

"You and your words!" teased Otelek. "When is Thread due, do you know?" he added suddenly.

"Two days here; we've plenty of time for searching. By then there's little hope left anyhow."

"Trust you to know! It was at least half a rhetorical question!"

Amrys shrugged.

"I learned in the Weyr to consult the tables regularly and learn the patterns. This Fall starts hardly any further west than here and Telgar Weyr will take it on as it crosses the big river about midday the day after tomorrow."

"Are you going to stand for Impression?" he asked curiously.

"I doubt it. I belong to Hold and Craft; I'll not shirk my responsibilities. If one of the kids looks like being better than me I'll stay with craft I guess not Hold; but it's not really fair to wish Holding onto them; it's a tough job. Like caring about every one of the cotholders swept away in an avalanche. This is bad enough; and these aren't ours."

"They're not? I thought Holders were jealous of autonomy – yet Rivenhill turned out in force!"

"Avalanches don't respect autonomy. With natural disasters EVERONE muck in. The people over here are pretty much independent; but that doesn't mean they should be left to stew in their own juice. It'll be dark soon you know; let's get down. Do us no good to break a leg for not seeing where we're going and the further down we go the darker it'll be."

Saph and Em and Otelek's two firelizards helped chase the caprines in the direction they were supposed to go; and presently the two reached the hastily erected tents of the healer station.

"You're exhausted!" Otelek caught sight of the little girl's face in the glows set about.

"My head aches a little, is all" said Amrys. "can we check on the boy? I think I'd feel better to know how he is."

The boy's name was Gerel; and the Weyrhealer told tem that he was sleeping on exhaustion and judicious dosing with fellis.

"His family cot was right in the path of the avalanche" she said "Dragons have been digging in; but no-one has much hope after this time. Orth is burrowing in with more industry than those fool Benden dragons dug up the Ancients' settlement and to more good use; for we never give up hope until the last minute. But chances are the poor kid is all alone in the world and no other kin that we know of."

"Poor kid" said Amrys "We can take him at Rivenhill, a good herder is always an asset. Unless he chooses the Weyr."

"Rivenhill has done its duty and more" said Calla grimly "And more than made up for the turns it did nothing. I'm afraid his sister didn't make it; too many things inside were crushed beyond even Master Oldive's capabilities. And I'm afraid I can't give that news any more gently, young Amrys."

Amrys swallowed and nodded.

"Thank you Calla" she said "I'd rather know, you know."

Otelek asked,

"Are there any dragons available to take my young charges home?"

Calla nodded.

"No problem."

They were transported home on a pair of Green dragons Amrys did not know; but she was too spent to do more than murmur thanks to them.

"That child ought not to be allowed to push herself so hard" Master Lynger said later to Otelek when Amrys was asleep.

"And would you care to explain that to her, Master? She has the concept that Blood obligates; and I can't dispute that, for it does! She has siblings, should she manage to kill herself; and we all respect those Holders who ask no more of others than they give of themselves!" shrugged Otelek. "She's a plucky kid; I try to save her what I can when I see her tiring. She's worth ten of the little slackers who declare themselves exhausted the moment they get a little tired!"

News came in early next morning that Gerel was indeed an orphan; Orth had come across the remains of a flattened wall. The rest of the cot and its occupants had been swept down the mountainside before the avalanche's fury; there was no chance anyone could have survived that.

The faculty decided not to pass on the news unless Amrys asked specifically.

Amrys did not need to ask.

Grave faces and no GOOD news – that she knew she would be told – told its own story. She met Otelek's eye, saw the uncomfortable look and read the whole without a word being said.

"It happens" she said "The mountains are rich; and beautiful; and cruel."

"The same has been said of the sea" said Otelek.

Amrys nodded.

"Has he chosen Hold or Weyr?"

"Weyr; he wants to work hard to help other orphans. He's a good boy, though I doubt it's all really sunk in yet" Otelek sighed, thinking of Janika.

Amrys patted his hand kindly; the brief glance over at the little girl enabled her to follow his thought processes.

"At least she has grandparents and you" she said "And us too; for the craft is an extended family, isn't it! Well we've plenty to do today to catch up; no time to brood. And more to do to pre-empt Thread tomorrow too."

And Amrys was very glad of the hard work to help cope with her first real personal brush with death; for her infant brother's murder was blurred mercifully in her memory for having been too young to understand totally at the time.

A piece of good news came in to help counteract the bad; a reclusive lumberman higher up the mountain had survived being covered in snow and had managed to poke his ski stick through the snow covering him both to get some air and to attract attention by dint of tying his scarf to it that had brought a dragonman down. The lumberman was of the opinion that the avalanche had been started by the outraged screams of a flock of wherries, fighting over a carcase, for he had heard the row. It was as likely an explanation as any; though as the weather warmed avalanches could easily start spontaneously any way. The lumberman was very happy to be alive and to have escaped with no worse than a broken leg! Y'lara brought this news when she came to present the silver star badge to each of Otelek's team, the High Reaches region recognition for those who saved life in mountain rescue. A lot of dragonriders earned it many times over; but it was a badge universally respected in the Weyr, Craft and Hold throughout the region, in the same way the fishercraft recognised the embroidered silver shipfish badge for saving life at sea.

When Thread fell, the weavers were becoming both used to and adept at walking sweep. Many apprentices had started volunteering, loath to be left out – or to be shown up by little girls! Of the new ones, only Sajed, Jaid and Bretine volunteered; though Ankevor would have done so had he not been forbidden by his father until he was older!

After Thread had passed for another forty nine days the spring weather settled down to torrential downpours – just too late to drown Thread, as Amrys said in disgust – and the river roared in spate both from the rain and from melting snow. Few cared to go out; and the apprentices were glad of plenty of work to occupy themselves! Master Lynger, conscious of his charges' physical wellbeing instituted a minor Kabaddi league played across a chalked line in the eating hall, and gave an hour every day over to running about games there too. Brollom produced a fipple-pipe and Jeral a bodhran and a few sets of impromptu country dances were also set up. Master Lynger improved on this by asking the Hall Harper to play his fiddle for dancing.

Word came from Sagarra of Segrith having laid her clutch, just seventeen eggs; then a few days later Bretine gasped as a Brown Dragon emerged from _Between_ as the youngsters went for a walk between rainstorms.

"It's B'tin's Tayath – I hope nothing's wrong!" she cried.

That the reverse was true was evidenced by B'tin's face, beaming with joy, as he approached the apprentices; and threw his daughter up in the air as if she were as light as little Corrys!

"Your mother has Impressed a Green dragon!" he shouted "One of the girls persuaded her to stand and now she's a Rider too!"

Bretine's face split in a grin.

"Oh B'tin! That's WONDERFUL news!" she said "Oh give her and the dragonet all my best! What's her name?"

"Terith. And Tayath's delighted!" declared B'tin, looking delighted himself.

"Congratulations from us all!" said Amrys warmly. "Any other girls to Greens?"

"Six in all" grinned B'tin. "And I have to go – Fall over Upper Igen, but I HAD to let you know!"

It was wonderful news!

Spring set in suddenly, early, and in earnest, with green shoots everywhere one morning; and volunteer apprentices started planting stands of flax to harvest for next turn's linen. The retting and fulling mill was now fully operational and Journeyman Otelek would be soon teaching more senior students its mysteries; though its day-to-day running was to be under Journeyman Talanor who did not teach. At H'llon's suggestion, a cut had been made to a pool, grading it so that the wheel was turned in an overshot fashion for greater power; and the water rejoining the river downstream. There was such a lot to Weavercraft it would be hard for any one person to know more than the very basics of it all, thought Amrys! She almost regretted electing out of fibremaking; but she could not do everything, and the electives she HAD chosen were all themselves very demanding.

Amrys was sat in class frowning over her picot-edged pillow lace, laying in a gossamer-bug in the curve of a half-stitch firelizard tail when Otaysa came in.

"Excuse me, Master Rakul, may I have Amrys? She and her brother have a new sister and their mother has asked for them."

"Have you come to a place you can leave it, Amrys?" the Master asked.

"Not easily….is it urgent, Otaysa or may I have a few minutes?" Amrys was not REALLY anxious; if Rillys was likely to die in childbed she would have been swept off to the Healer Hall long since.

"No, there's no hurry" Otaysa hastened to assure the little girl, for common sense or no, Amrys had paled. "But your mother is impatient to show you the baby!"

Amrys finished the final supporting spoke, stuck in the brass pin to hold it and carefully pinned the cover cloth over her pillow.

"I'm ready."

Hand in hand with Jilamon, Amrys gazed on small Rilbinna.

"Isn't she awful small?" asked Jilamon.

"She's no smaller than normal" said Rillys, who had an awed Corrys sitting on the bed beside her patting the baby's coral fist.

Amrys thrust over the layette.

"For her. Green for a girl" she said.

"Why Amrys! Did you knit it all?" Rillys was delighted.

"Not the coat" said Amrys sadly "The first one had an….accident happen to it; Journeyman Hetel kindly helped me finish in time by doing the coat."

"You've done very well, darling!" Rillys kissed her; shooting her eldest daughter a sharp look at the tone of voice over the 'accident'; but deciding that this was not the time for searching questions.

"May I hold her?" asked Amrys.

"Of course" Rillys laid the baby in her arms; and Amrys rocked her gently, an adoring look on her face before she handed the small bundle to a distinctly nervous Jilamon!

Amrys wrote to Sagarra straight away and dispatched the note by Saph, knowing that her weyrbred friend counted her family as kin.

Naturally, since hatching was only a few days away, Amrys and her family would not attend this time; but the Master was taken, since a weaver was standing, who would have future associations with Rivenhill Weaverhall at some point.

Master Lynger returned a trifle shocked; but alone. He had composed himself fully by the time he made the announcement that a Weavercraft apprentice named R'rik had Impressed, and would – when his dragon was substantially grown – come on to the Hall as its Rider to complete his confirmation as Journeyman.

The apprentices cheered on general principles; only Nelon knew the boy and he said nothing to his fellows.

"What colour, sir?" called Amrys.

"Green; er, Dilbeth her name is" said Master Lynger who had remembered just in time before leaving the Weyr to ask, in case his more weyr aware apprentices asked!

"Oh!" said Amrys, enlightkened "THAT's why the old codger bullied him so!"

Lynger coloured.

"A thirtysecond fine for disrespect!" he said firmly. One could NOT have one's apprentices referring to another Master as an 'old codger' however much one might agree with any disparaging comments!

"Sorry sir!" Amrys apologised readily.

She worried from the flush if the Master was concerned about homosexuality; and promptly went to see him to kindly explain that it wouldn't mean that the Green Rider would want to sleep with apprentices any more than any Journeyman or Master of more conventional sexual appetites would want to sleep with the members of Green Dormitory.

"I wasn't that" said Lynger testily "A man's relations with others is his own business so long as he's discreet. There was….an incident. And I suppose you'll only write to that dark haired moppet of R'gar's if I don't tell you."

"Not if you ask me not to, sir" said Amrys, burning with curiously "Though if there was any High Reaches drama she'll likely write and tell me about it anyhow."

"Well….you're discreet enough and it'll get out soon enough I dare say; it was loud and public. R'rik's father made a rather unseemly scene and was, er, firmly sent home" he paled suddenly, having heard that the man had actually threatened to kill Dilbeth, believing that Impressing a Green made a man homosexual, instead of female dragons merely preferring to choose those with such preferences!

"Oh….got his own problems of acceptance of what he is then" said Amrys scornfully. "Poor R'rik; I hope he gets a nice kind Blue Rider lover. We don't have any gay men here at the hall so he'll have to stick to weyr for that."

"Er….yes" said Lynger, wishing Amrys were not QUITE so knowledgeable; and so uninhibited about it! At least the little girl would probably firmly enlighten and educate her peer group without prudish giggling and teach them a little more tolerance than was common.

"Did Ipominea Impress?" Amrys wanted to know.

"The Printer girl who was a woodcrafter who designed the pulleys for out looms?" he asked, checking; and went on as Amrys nodded "Yes; I think they're calling her Po'nea. There were six girls to Impress, including one who had a Blue; which I would have thought is unusual" Master Lynger was more perspicacious than many in picking out J'inne as a girl! He added "And the new Weyrwoodcrafter has a Brown, very dark!"

"Oh good" said Amrys. "Telfer – T'fer I mean – is a good sort. I'll have to get a full report from Sagarra; I don't know who everyone is any more."

Lynger smiled fondly.

"Well I dare say you'll soon find out" he said "And thank you for, er, your intentions to help my non-existent prejudices!"

Amrys grinned.

"It was awf'ly cheeky, wasn't it?" she said "Only if it had upset you I thought it'd be uncomfortable for you and R'rik both."

"Incorrigible child! Run along!"

Amrys ran, cheerfully!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

It had been the Turn round since the crafthall had begun; and there was to be a feast to celebrate it. Though confirmations of apprenticeships would in future be posted before Turnover, this was to be an exception, since the first group of apprentices were owed a full Turn to prove their worth. It would also be a good time to post any journeymen from amongst the seniors; and there was much gossip amongst the apprentices over who, if any, would get the coveted promotion!

Jeral grinned therefore when a message runner loped in from the south bringing mail, via relays of such men, all the way from Southern Boll. Most messages were missives from family in the Weaverhall there; but when senior apprentice Silger got one it was a fair guess that it was from an inamorata, since Silger was known for his susceptibilities where the fair sex was concerned. The older boy read the letter, grinning to himself in satisfaction and not a little lust; and Jeral picked up the nearest fire bucket, shouted "FIRE!" and threw its contents at Silger's crotch.

Silger gasped and cried out in shock!

"You little horror!" he spluttered "You wait until you pull and some little wretch makes game of you about it!"

"Sure, and I didn't want to wait any longer to rag ye, in case ye got made Journeyman and it's treatin' ye with respect I'm having to!" said Jeral.

"And in the meantime you'll clear up that mess and spend your evening's leisure helping in the laundry for learning the value of properly washed clothes and the inadvisability of making false inflammatory – no pun intended – outcries" Journeyman Otelek, who had witnessed the whole, declared crisply.

Jeral grinned ruefully, accepting punishment cheerfully as payment for his fun.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, Silger, couldn't resist it!"

"You're a pest" said Silger gathering such remnants as remained of his dignity about him "Thank you Journeyman."

"It's the cry of fire that's the real offence more than the wetting of your ardour I'm afraid" said Otelek. "DO try for some sense, Jeral; you're fourteen turns old, don't act like you're only four!"

Jeral felt very small and chastened by that; and felt the comment far more deeply than his sentence to help with the laundry!

Only three boys were not confirmed to remain apprentices; Lysax had not heeded the warning to pull himself together; a boy called Sibret might have scraped in had he not spoiled so many of his barely adequate efforts with a lack of patience and poor finishing; and Mikize had put too many of HIS efforts into trying to be, as Amrys described it, a second Serry.

This sad dismissal left only three boys left in Blue dormitory; and so the Master also posted that Jaid, Arter and Sajed were to move into that dormitory and Bretine to join the same classes accordingly! Sherek was to move up to Lower Bronze with Tirley and Nelon, and the dormitory established forthwith; and Upper White was to remain empty for the time being, though technically the preserve of Jaid, Arter and Sajed. The Master however felt that associating more closely with those who had been there a full turn round might help pull up the newer comers to the standards needed to eventually move into Brown for the following turn. If any were likely to be left down in Blue it was Sajed; who was enthusiastic and dextrous but not possessed of the sort of technical mind that found counting rows of weaving anything but hard; and Sajed could not, either, see in his mind's eye how a pattern for woven, knit or lacecraft work would look once it was made up, even after three months' experience. He would succeed for sheer hard work; but he would never be the brightest star. Master Lynger hoped to ease the boy into embroidery or printing where he would have a better idea what he was aiming for; and away from tailoring where one must picture the drape of cloth on each figure – and its results!

On due consideration, the Master decided not to make either of the oldest seniors up to journeymen; neither was quite ready. At Turnover they, and Hetel, would perhaps be suitable; and maybe Millsi and Zayven too. Hetel would be young, but he was far and away ahead of any of the others in terms of skill! Master Lynger had told both Larterel and Silger that he did not think them ready yet; and if they were a little disappointed they masked it well. They were still only seventeen turns old, after all; several turns short of the age of twenty-one when it was a disgrace not to have achieved journeymanship – save through injury or other disaster that held one back – and the craft declined further training. Of the two, Larterel was the most technically able; but had relied heavily on his talent and his ability to pick things up quickly. The boy had developed a habit of laziness that would be seriously unbecoming in a journeyman. Lynger had spoken to him seriously about this; and was certain that the boy had taken it as a wake-up call, being denied what the Master had told him would certainly have been able to had he but tried. For Larterel, the knowledge that it was his own fault to be denied his chance to walk the tables at this special feast was a blow that he intended to turn to good intent!

The feast certainly went down well, even if there was not the excitement of new journeymen. It was almost too a farewell feast to the paying students who would be leaving in a little over a month. Vana would be going to High Reaches Weyr to await a clutch; and Keirel would go to Igen Weyr since G'narish had opened Green dragons to female candidates since the last clutch; and that there would be a clutch in good time she knew, for Bretine had told her that Baylith had risen around the time of the last hatching! Keirel had been asking excited questions of Bretine; which as they included queries as to how to behave, the weyrbred girl had answered with good humour. Bretine even wrote to her father asking him to keep an eye out for Keirel, for the older girl was pleasant enough to the apprentices if a little nosy about their doings; or so it seemed to the group of small children being asked questions from someone they perceived as a grown-up!

The next most exciting thing in Amrys' view was when Masterprinter Bronze Rider H'llon turned up with a young man wearing weyrling Green Rider knots, ruffling her hair and Jilamon's as she dragged her friends over to greet him. Nelon grinned at the weyrling.

"Hello, R'rik, congratulations!" Nelon said.

The older boy shot him a wary look, then gave a half smile.

"You look like you actually mean it, Nelon" he said.

Nelon grinned.

"I do. If a dragon figures you're all right, I guess you've lost any bad attitude you had and you're all right!"

R'rik managed a rueful smile that had a shadow in it.

"You could say that" he said "I have irrevocably chosen weyr over kin; but I'm told I don't have to lose craft too."

Nelon blinked.

"But wasn't the old…. I mean your father – wasn't he just the proudest to know you'd Impressed?"

"Not a Green" said R'rik with some bitterness.

"Then you're best out of his way!" declared Nelon indignantly. "It's the most tremendous honour to Impress! And if you don't like men for sex, you know, you can shut yourself off, they explained THAT to me, me being young; and if you do, well, it's all right, isn't it?"

"How simple it seems to a babe like you" sighed R'rik. "Well if you kids here feel that way I'll not have to worry when I come to confirm; but let's just say my father didn't see it in that light."

"We're proud of you, anyway" Nelon punched the older boy's arm in a friendly gesture "Why are you here? Surely you'll wait until – until"

"Dilbeth" supplied Amrys

"Yeah, Dilbeth, until she's bigger?" Nelon finished.

R'rik looked at Amrys with interest.

"Weyrbred?" he asked.

"A little bit….you can ask Sagarra, tell her Amrys said she could tell the story….she and I have fostered together each way as you might say. Why are you here?"

R'rik grinned; the kid had a straightforward face, it was a desire to know, no cheek.

"H'llon had an idea for an invention to make brocade weaving quicker and easier" he said "And if I don't go on in with the bits and pieces we've been building he'll have me melted down for lard to grease his machines!"

"Whoh, that's exciting!" said Amrys. "I thought Ipominea – no, I mean Po'nea – had improved it with pulleys; by the light in H'llon's eyes this goes way past!"

Master Lynger was evidently quite impressed by R'rik; for Amrys squealed with delight to run into the High Reaches Weyrlingmaster on his way from the Master's office as she moved from one class to another; and R'gar was well hugged.

He kissed Amrys firmly on the forehead.

"Now then!" he admonished fiercely "You'll have your friends thinking I'm not the crustiest curmudgeon in the Weyr at this rate when they come to stand!"

Amrys giggled happily.

"Only for good reason, R'gar. Is Sagarra coming here? She never showed much interest in weaving before!"

"No, Sagarra's still pestering all the crafters for as wide an education as possible" laughed R'gar "And as likely as any to end up in Healecraft, for she's deft and gentle enough; and may even prove to be good with human patients too."

Amrys grinned.

"Are you going to tell me why you're here then?" she demanded.

R'gar shrugged.

"Why not? It's no secret. Master Lynger pointed out that a sevenday or two would be enough to test if R'rik was journeyman quality or not yet; and if the boy promises to catch up MY lessons I agreed to let him bring Dilbeth here for so short a space of time."

"Oh I know all the basic formations; I can help him with that" said Amrys "And we shan't let Dilbeth get tail thickened you know."

"It was on such conditions that I agreed" said R'gar. "For YOUR ears, because you're a pest and pick things up anyway, the boy could do with a fillip to his self esteem; and journeyman's knots would help with that and make him a better dragonman for the self confidence."

Amrys nodded seriously.

"We'll take care of him, R'gar" she said, ignoring the irony of the difference in age between herself and R'rik!

"I'm sure you will, pest that you are" laughed R'gar, adding "Now hop off to where you're SUPPOSED to be!"

Amrys hopped; and received only mild rebuke from Designmaster Telarish, her other friends having gone ahead and explained that Amrys was speaking with a visiting Bronze Rider.

In the anticipation of the arrival of an Impressed pair, an extension was quickly built onto the side of the Hall. It was something of a temporary erection; R'rik must needs rough it a little to share sleeping quarters with his dragon, and would come into the main building for bathing facilities and such.

H'llon brought the lad and his excited little Green lifemate; and the Bronze Rider stayed to speak to Journeyman Woodcrafter Benor who was NOT best pleased with H'llon's invention; for the journeyman was sure it would mean a lot of work that he felt unnecessary.

H'llon permitted the sullen man to complain of all this before he smiled sweetly and pointed out that Benor should be delighted then that most of the work was to be accomplished by smithcrafters and that the rest might be done by those specialising in the weaving of brocades.

It pulled the rug from under Benor's feet over the complaint he would doubtless otherwise have made about outsiders coming in to take over his job!

It did NOT however make the Journeyman Woodcrafter any fonder of the ingenious Bronze Rider not of his Green Rider weaver protégé.

H'llon thought it rather fortunate that R'rik need not take any lessons under Benor; having had the forethought to pass the boy's loom building efforts and certificate them as more than adequate!

Amrys and her followers did not anticipate seeing much of R'rik; the youth was to work with the Upper Bronze lads, plus a stint of helping the youngest ones with lessons – notably he was to bring on the four who had just been promoted to Blue status.

Needless to say, Jaid, Sajed, Arter and Bretine were thrilled to have a dragonman as their special tutor acting-journeyman; though Bretine was, naturally, less awed than the boys. This four demanded the right to help oil and bathe Dilbeth; and Bretine pointed out that she at least has weyrbred knowledge to be a real help. Amrys laughed and ceded the right to the four; and quietly suggested to R'rik that it would be a good disciplinary measure to extend or withhold the privilege! R'rik thought it an excellent idea; though he found no need to withhold anything, since his class was so keen, both to please him and to get on! The young Green Rider also asked Nelon to help, as the lad had been through some weyrling training; it was mostly an attempt to get to know better the boy he had caused to be bullied through his previous lack of understanding. As Nelon had every intention of standing again – and was tipped by K'len to Impress a high colour – it seemed too to be a good idea to get to know another future Rider-weavercrafter!

All the Hall knew that Journeyman Kevas fought Journeyman Benor – and won – but only in the matter of mild rumour. Kevanna however shared what had happened with her own set.

"My idiot brother" she said, referring to young Ankevor "Asked me if it was true that R'rik would hurt all the little boys' bottoms. And I asked him where he'd got such a daftlike idea from" she rolled her eyes looking disconcertingly like her father when he was losing patience "and he said Journeyman Benor told his class that they should be glad not to be the three boys who were sent into Blue because Green Riders liked to hurt boys' bottoms and they should steer clear of him."

Amrys gasped in horror.

"What a- a- CALUMNY!" she managed to grasp the right word.

"But f'sure, how WICKED!" said Lyssa.

"Yes" said Kevanna "And I told Ankevor the only thing Benor knew about bottoms was that he talked out of his. So I told my fool of a brother to tell father; and father would sort it out, and he was to tell the other boys that Journeyman Benor told the lie direct. So father was furious at him – at Benor, not Ankevor who's only a silly little boy – for trying to frighten little boys with tall tales, so he whopped him. I wish I'd seen it" she added, aggrieved "But father kept it all quite private because apprentices ought not to watch journeymen whopping other journeymen."

It is a matter of record that Journeyman Woodcrafter Benor left the Rivenhill Weavercraft Hall under something of a cloud to a small craft cot in Lemos where he would build looms to order and no more. And the weavercrafters anticipated the arrival of a new journeyman woodcrafter!

oOoOo

Journeyman Woodcrafter Sadvia was herself quite a skilled weaver, having been trained to it as the oldest daughter of Holder Syal, a cousin onf Lord Asgenar of Lemos himself. She was also quite happy to accept innovations – especially any innovation of H'llon, who – as she cheerfully informed Master Lynger – had more thoughts to rub together in his head at one time than most entire crafthalls managed in an entire turn. Or even a lifetime, she amended!

Master Lynger was much relieved.

The idea that H'llon had proposed was of spring-loaded push-rods that lifted certain threads in the warp to a pattern defined by holes in a sheet of heavy paper, which, when turned, automatically moved the rods to the next set of holes. Once the pattern was worked out onto the paper, all a weaver had to do was to depress a peddle to move the pattern on each time he threw the shuttle; and to remember which colour shuttle he was throwing at which point. The invention should speed up brocade weaving threefold at least!

Sadvia was fascinated; and impressed.

"If you'll let me take a paid smithcrafter course on how to join it all together I'd be happy to make the whole if you buy in rods and springs" she said. "How hard can it be to learn?"

This was the sort of thing Master Lynger liked to hear!

He had borrowed a smith from Master Fandarel – a down-to-earth girl called Jancis, who was the Smithcrafter's own granddaughter – and left her instructing Sadvia on the mysteries of spot welding and soldering.

Anyone prepared to learn more and willing to try new things was close to perfect in Master Lynger's book; and he started listing eligible journeymen to try to fix Sadvia's interest with in hopes of keeping her permanently so she would never feel the need to leave!

It was, he reflected, an ill wind that never blew any good; and this was one of the best ill winds he had ever encountered.

Sadvia requested a couple of volunteer apprentices; and Lynger immediately suggested Brollom, already notorious for his desires to improve looms. Sadvia enthusiastically took the lad as a special apprentice; and also accepted help from her cousin Sajed who was at home working in wood, even if weavercraft was his first joy. It would all go to Sajed's credit on his record as he progressed, as well as standing Brollom in good stead in his desire to work with brocade!

With harmony restored in the Hall, it was not long before Master Lynger had the very pleasant duty of presenting R'rik with his journeyman's knots and one of the new, unforgeable warrants of his status from H'llon's Printshop.

"Visit us whenever you can, my boy" said Lynger "We like to maintain ties with our Weyrcrafters!"

R'rik agreed happily; it was good to feel that there were now TWO places where he belonged and was not on sufferance by most people!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Journeyman Sadvia, once known to be a friend to H'llon, was immediately in demand by the greater number of Brown, Green and Lower Bronze dormitories as a leader of their – as yet – limited activities as logicators.

Sadvia herself laughed good naturedly as Amrys made the request.

"Certainly I'm happy to lead logicator meetings" she said "Though I hope you kids know to remain discreet about matters discussed?"

"Of course!" said Amrys. "I used to go to the meetings in the Weyr, so I made sure everyone knew we must be as discreet as a Harper!"

"That's all right then" grinned Sadvia. She was actually secretly flattered and pleased to be asked to lead logicating; it had been one aspect of her life at the Woodcrafter Hall that she had expected to miss at an obscure Weavercraft Hall and was pleased to be able to continue and indeed to be looked up to by junior logicators!

Amrys certainly did admire Sadvia! She was so pretty! Her rich chestnut hair was long and lustrous and her skin as clear as clear! Amrys wondered if it might not be a half bad plan to get Sadvia fixed up with Journeyman Otelek, because he was so nice too. However, after the little girl's rather equivocal results in the meddling with her mother's attraction to Corbin, Amrys had grown wise to the concept that things would happen as they may and the time to interfere would be if there was obvious attraction that needed a little….encouragement.

Otelek had shown an interest in logicating; which to Amrys' mind was a hopeful sign of getting him together with Sadvia! Indeed, Master Lynger himself thought the idea of using common sense allied with observation an excellent exercise and a fairly harmless hobby in which his charges might indulge, and likely to keep them out of the more disruptive mischief adolescent children generally seemed to manage. He had already set the youthful logicators tasks of finding things that had gone astray, with startlingly good result; all good practical applications but not, as Amrys remarked gloomily, in the same degree as a good juicy murder mystery.

The juicy murder when it came was announced by the arrival of a white-faced apprentice.

Weaver apprentice Greggor was learning the rudiments of his craft in a craftcot; and gasped that his Master was dead and that it was certainly foul play!

Master Lynger, on due consideration, summoned Designmaster Telarish, his most imaginative and yet clear-sighted Master as well as Journeymen Sadvia and Otelek.

Otelek asked quickly before the Master had fully outlined more than the basic background,

"Is it Rivenhill?"

"Kind of" said Greggor, a lad of some fourteen turns.

"Then Lady Amrys ought to be involved too, Master; it is her duty and her right" said Otelek.

Either a real murder would strengthen the little girl's resolve to do her duty or cure her of wanting more spectacular logicator cases, he thought!

Amrys duly arrived when summoned; and Greggor told his story.

"It all started when the stranger arrives, Journeyman Miner Lystara."

"Before that, how many people normally reside in the craftcot?" asked Sadvia "Tell us about those before speaking of the stranger and her impact."

"Well, there's the Master, Dwilon: and his new wife, Feraysa that he's been married to for two turns or so; his son Tialon, he's unmarried, he travels around a lot but he's there right now: and the Master's two daughters and their husbands and the babies and Tarek and me as apprentices."

"Are the daughters journeymen? Or their husbands?" asked Otelek.

"Dwilys is; she's very talented but sharp tongued if you don't pick stuff up the first time she explains it. Her husband is a journeyman too, he's kind though he won't let us grumble about her. They met when Dwilys went to confirm in Southern Boll. Lontia's kind of Headwoman, she's never followed the craft, she cooks and cleans for us all with help from the drudge, old Millita. Lontia's husband is Journeyman Ammer, I think he was once the Master's apprentice; he's good but he doesn't trust us boys with tasks like Shighen does – Dwilys' husband – or the Master" he added resentfully.

"So that's the Master, three male and one female Journeymen, three women and two boys?" asked Amrys "Plus sundry small children?"

Greggor counted on his fingers after glancing at Lynger to see if he should answer; and nodded.

"And everyone living in harmony normally before the disturbance of a stranger?" asked Master Telarish intently.

Greggor grinned.

"Not hardly, Master! Lontia calls Shighen a wastrel because he'll give to any beggar at a Gather and finds work for itinerant Holdless; and Feraysa thinks she's in charge of the cot and Lontia's sure she is; Dwilys doesn't think the Master ought to have married that fancy piece who's always moaning that there should be more drudges, and Dwilys don't keep her tongue behind her teeth either, I can tell you! Lontia passes her opinions too that if Feraysa was less fancy the work would get done in double quick time, it's the one subject those sisters agree on!"

"And into this happy family comes a stranger" murmured Telarish.

Greggor shot him a brief, uncertain look.

"Yes sir; Journeyman Lystara, a miner like I said; she came to talk to the Master. Then there was a row, and Tarek and me overheard it – he's only twelve, Master, so I clouted him and told him he'd better not repeat what he heard, but I guess now the Master's dead you need to know. See, there was Feraysa going on at Master Dwilon accusing him of taking this Lystara as his fancy piece and he – the Master – told her she was being ridiculous and asked her if sex was the only thing she ever thought of. Reckon it is" he added "'Cos she's made eyes at me and at the other journeymen too."

"Some women flirt without meaning anything by it" said Sadvia sternly "Unless it was a real and obvious pass, that observation was ALMOST out of line for taking away a married woman's character."

"Sorry Journeyman" said Greggor. He was plainly aching to know why a woodcrafter was in on this, but did not dare ask!

"How long after this did Master Dwilon die and by what means?" asked Amrys.

"If I may explain, the craftcot is on two levels" Greggor said "With the sleeping rooms above. The Master usually visits – visited – the necessary in the night; it's downstairs. And that very night he fell downstairs and broke his neck. Only…there was a nail banged in each side of the stair at the top and a fragment of black cord still tied to one; and all of us in and out all day for checking either the few caprines we have or the coppices."

"Well that's fairly conclusive" said Sadvia. "A risk though – suppose someone else went down first?"

"If indeed he was the intended victim" said Amrys.

"Were there other serious arguments?" asked Otelek.

Greggor nodded miserably.

"Journeyman Tialon also tackled his father about Lystara; and Journeyman Dwilys. And Lontia said she hoped he wasn't going to make a fool of himself. You can hear a lot in the weavingroom if the loom isn't going when the journeymen are elsewhere. Tarek and I were hanking wool on shuttles before we went out to help with the coppicing. And then they found his will afterwards."

"Oh?" Telarish leaned forward.

"He made provision for Tarek and me to come here to be trained further; and made…..comments about his children with the amounts he left" the boy said. "Like, he left, among other things, the ass to Tialon in the hopes that one day he'd learn not to be one; and he left nothing but a loom to Dwilys because her husband would give any marks away; and he left the Cot to Lontia on the condition that there was always a home for all his kin. He didn't leave as much to Feraysa as she would have liked; he said she'd already spent her share but he left quite a lot to Lystara to,he said, make up for not seeing more of her: and that really upset Feraysa. She's sent Tialon to get a Harper to have Lystara condemned and hanged! And it doesn't make SENSE!" he added "So I thought, this is Craft business and I borrowed the ass…."

"Shall I ask Dilbeth to bespeak a bigger dragon to get us there quickly?" asked Amrys.

"If the Weyrfolk would be so kind" said Master Lynger.

Camnath dropped the logicators off as the Harper rode in from the nearby Cothold community nominally beholden to Rivenhill.

"Harper, are you familiar with the concept of logicating?" Sadvia asked.

The young man brightened.

"I am indeed; are you people logicators?"

"We are. I'm quite experienced but as this is weavercraft business I have trainee logicators Master Telarish and Journeyman Otelek along, and Lady Amrys for Craft and Hold both. I'm Sadvia."

"Skeleren" the Harper introduced himself "I'm acquainted with Journeyman T'rin; hence MY limited knowledge! I'll leave the questioning to you and, er, do any official duties necessary?"

"Excellent" purred Sadvia.

The boy was very young as Journeymen went and obviously relieved to shuffle responsibility of so morbid a case onto another – it was a far cry from teaching the young and officiating at weddings and normal farewell ceremonies to determining the guilt of a murderer!

The young Harper knew how to use his authority however.

He introduced the party as 'experts' making much of Telarish' status as Master and Amrys as juvenile Lady Holder.

The mood was sullen.

"We don't need experts!" shrieked Feraysa "We know who killed him! It was that tunnel snake who was squirming in his bed!" she pointed at the Journeyman Miner, who compressed her lips angrily.

"I'm not even going to DIGNIFY so stupid and misinformed outburst with a reply!" declared the miner.

"It MUST have been an accident, surely?" said one of the male journeymen sounding sick.

"You are?"

"Shighen, Journeyman. It must have been an accident or else one of us or this young woman must have killed him deliberately! I can't think that family…"

"Exactly!" said Feraysa triumphantly, folding her arms.

"Some of us don't count YOU family now father's not here to have to hear us say so" said one of the women.

"Not that his being alive stopped you insulting me, Lontia" whined Feraysa.

"Can't we get on with this?" the other woman, presumably Dwilys snapped "We're making spectacles of ourselves! For the umpteenth time, Shighen, it is murder because Greggor found the cord; and however much of an idiot he may be about sewing he's no idiot about what he sees."

"Shells, was that a compliment or not?" Greggor muttered to himself.

"Unless it was he who put it there as a prank to make us act like this!" suggested another journeyman "Or set the trap and got more serious consequences than he bargained for!"

"That's infamous, Journeyman Ammer!" cried Greggor "I am not such a fool either to set such a trap – flour balanced on a door in a lightweight wooden bowl, yes, a tripwire no! Nor would I upset my craftcot by – by such a HORRIBLE implied lie!"

"Tarek" Sadvia asked crisply "Being younger, there could be understanding if you set a tripwire without realising the consequences – if you did, you tell me right now and we can sort things out."

"But I never did, Journeyman!" Tarek looked horrified. "Why I KNOW it's dangerous because I saw some cothold boys trip up an old woman with a jumping rope just on the flat and she broke her leg and I come back here and told everyone about it, didn't I?"

"You did" said Greggor. "Tarek doesn't play practical jokes, Master, Journeymen, My Lady. That's my thing. And I'm old enough to know how many beans make five, you know."

"Very well, then; on to other matters" said Sadvia crisply. "Let us turn to Lystara; about whose status I have some deductions of my own based on naming customs. Tialon, what was your mother's name?"

The hitherto shocked and silent journeyman started at being addressed.

"Lystia" he said.

"Giving the 'Tia' to you and your younger sister; and 'lys' to Dwilys" said Sadvia "And with a name like LYStara I'm guessing you to be a relative of Master Dwilon's first wife as might be expected to visit her kin by marriage."

"As is, I would have thought, obvious enough to anyone" said Lystara dryly "Especially as I look enough like Tialon for the family resemblance to be apparent I should have though; we both have our mother's unfortunate ears. Yes you three; I am your half sister. Lystia was just fourteen when I was born. When she met Dwilon she and he both agreed to leave me with my grandparents where I was happy; and by the time they died I had almost made journeyman and needed no further fostering. Dwilon had always been kind to me when they visited; I could ask for no kinder a stepfather. They preferred however to keep the facts of my birth quiet for his own parents would have treated my mother badly without even finding out the facts of my conception. Which were" she added "Since you may as well know it all that she was deceived and seduced by a social superior. Dwilon left me to reach journeyman then wrote inviting me to introduce me properly to my siblings. And THAT was why I was here. And what he has left to me is largely from my mother's legacy to me that she left him to pass on; and some extra from him. And not so much that the rest of you have cause to complain. I wish I'd not come now; I would far rather have had the opportunity to have more kin than stupid marks any day. But as it is I guess those marks are friendlier than my own darling siblings so ready to believe the poison of that snake who took my mother's place!" she added vehemently scowling at Feraysa "And so as I'm cleared of sleeping with my stepfather I guess I'll take my marks and go – you make me sick!"

"No, wait, we can talk" said Dwilys.

"How do we know you've not slept with him using some resemblance to your mother?" demanded Feraysa.

"Are you sick in the head as well as stupid?" asked Lystara.

"It is an outrageous suggestion!" said Sadvia "Her reason for being here is shown – the only suggestion that she slept with Master Dwilon that I can see came from the jealous mind of Feraysa; and it is well known that cheats see cheating in their partner. We already know that you at least flirted with, and maybe went further with your husband's son, sons-in-law and apprentice. And maybe others in the cothold community so close."

"It's a lie!" Feraysa screeched, her guilty flush betraying her.

"Never slept with Ammer or me" said Shighen "I know I'm considered to be too generous but there's types I'd not give to and she's one of them."

Dwilys squeezed his arm; the flippant answer obviously reassuring her more than serious protestations of innocence.

"What I don't understand is" said Lontia, obviously not even considering the concept of her husband's possible infidelity "Why anyone might risk one of the children going downstairs to use the necessary; Dwilys and I both have children, her oldest is nine, my oldest is six. Surely the risk was excessive!"

"A child of nine is old enough to play a silly trick" said Amrys.

"Not a chance" said Dwilys "Shilys is a sensible girl, mad keen to start her apprenticeship and she despises silly tricks."

"True" said Greggor "And sanctimonious she can be about it at times too!"

"I suppose a MAN might be less careful of the children" said Dwilys "And fail to think of the risk that a devoted mother would!"

"I am as devoted to the children as you are my dear" said Shighen softly "And Ammer is devoted to his, for he's a taciturn bugger."

"By the way, talking of caring for your children, I take it that they are currently kept out of this in the care of your drudge?" asked Sadvia.

"Yes, old Millita has them all upstairs" said Lontia "It seemed best."

"Catch me being left out of putting in my two marks' worth when I was nine" Amrys muttered to Greggor. He grinned.

Sadvia was nodding.

"Your old nursemaid, is she?" she asked.

"Oh no! She's Feraysa's old nurse – doesn't have much to do with the children as a rule, I see to them and Shilys a great help to me!" said Lontia.

"Go to the children and stay with them and send her down to me" said Sadvia sharply.

Lontia gave her a startled look but went to do as she was told.

"Ought we not to look at the body?" asked Amrys, unwontedly timidly. "I don't WANT to, but…."

"It'll have been laid out by now and will tell us little" said Sadvia "They'll have washed and straightened the poor old man out of any possible chance of finding clues – besides, I respect that boy Greggor's quick eye"

Amrys nodded, relieved.

"It's obvious who did it, isn't it?" she said "But I suspect it was using the agency of another…love twists people so sometimes, doesn't it?"

"It does" sighed Sadvia.

"Might the agent have acted in the belief that what was done was good?" asked Telarish.

Sadvia looked on him approvingly.

"Quite possibly" she said "A total twisting of love… in which case it is insanity not murder. Ah, Millita" as the old woman came in "Was it your own idea to stretch a cord across the stair, or your nurseling's?"

A look of cunning came into the old woman's eye.

"That scheming miner-girl shan't have my darling's prize!" she cried "If he's dead the tunnel snake shan't have him!"

"The miner girl is the old man's step daughter – not a would be lover you old fool" said Sadvia coldly "Your love is blind to a patently obvious fact. Can't you see the similarity in her name to his first wife's?"

"I neither know nor care what the mother of them snakes was called!" spat the drudge. "My darling doesn't know it neither! Why should she have to be remembered? All she did was birth these dunghill wherries who bred their own filth!"

Dwilys gave an involuntary gasp.

"And we left our children with you? What kind of monster are you, Millita?"

"One who is quite, quite mad and eaten up with jealousy for her baby I'm afraid" said Sadvia "She did not CARE if anyone else was caught in the trap by accident; including the children. The question is, did Mallita think this idea up on her own – or was it Feraysa's idea?"

"How ridiculous! Do you really think I'd come up with such an idea?" demanded Feraysa with a hard little titter.

"Yes" said Greggor "Because when Tarek came in with his tale of the tripping, both Millita and Lontia were in the kitchen; and you heard it and they didn't . if you didn't tell her to do it you hinted hard enough I bet!"

Feraysa started screaming at that point.

"Harper" said Amrys "It is our request that you escort the murderer and her dupe to Rivenhill Hold since they are neither of them crafters and so not under the jurisdiction of Master Lynger. Camnath will be pleased to take you. The Lady Warder will deal with the matter."

She has risen to the challenge, thought Otelek; and that little speech was every inch the Lady Holder not child!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Why does it happen?" Amrys asked Sadvia "Ranelly was just the same about Kylara from what I've heard; it's how I guessed about it."

Sadvia shrugged.

"It seems to be when someone practically worships another and will do anything for them – not with the distant hero worship that someone might feel for a dragonman, say, or a Master, but with a close intimacy that allows conversation and flattery. No, I don't really mean flattery, because it isn't; flattery implies a falseness, and the worshipper believes all they say about how wonderful their pet idol is; and they egg on the belief of greatness and being owed more in the object of their adoration, who in turn calls for more and more examples of devotion. It's an awfully odd and sick relationship; one of my sisters had some sycophantic 'friends' when she fostered away AND a rather fawning drudge. Daddy dismissed the girl when he caught her telling Indeela how wonderful she was and how much a nicer lady than a hoyden of a sister who had taken apprenticeship – that's me – andit took a whole turn round to turn my sister from being a stuck up snob back to being the sunny natured girl I'd grown up with. I THINK she's cured; but it was tough."

"Shells!" said Amrys "I'm glad I don't have a personal drudge; p'haps that's why Rillys never fixed one for me; it'd be bad for me."

Sadvia laughed.

"Somehow I can't see you being such a wherry-headed little fool as to be flattered by sycophantic maunderings" she said "You're too level headed; like my smallest sister Ambreen who's a woodcraft apprentice. And, I'm afraid, one of the most creative pranksters the Hall has ever know" she added ruefully. "She's a turn or so younger than you."

Amrys grinned.

"Oh I'm no great prankster" she said "There's no point competing with Jeral, Larek and Kyilin. And I have enough fun without having to pull pranks anyway – unless you count the midnight feast."

"Oh, not at all" said Sadvia "Midnight feasts are common fun and easier here than for girls stuck in a cot with a chaperone at the Woodcrafter Hall. The boys get all the fun there!"

Amrys grinned.

"We'll have to invite you when we next have one then" she said "You don't REALLY count as authority who has to report things 'cos you're a woodcrafter."

Sadvia wondered whether to accept that piece of casuistry; and decided to do so.

She was not, after all, so much older than the senior apprentices here!

Master Telarish had decided that the acrimonious background of the late Master Dwilon's craftcot was unhealthy for the two apprentices; and had sent them to pack forthwith to be whisked back to the Hall at Rivenhill. Quick tests placed Greggor in Lower Bronze and Tarek in Blue. Tarek was a little boy who liked to conform and would be mostly harmless; and in Lower Bronze with hard working talented boys like Tirley, Nelon and Sherek, Greggor would get into less trouble than with such luminaries as Jeral, Larek and Kyilin, who tended to be backed up quite enough by Traal and Jilamon, even if Irral and Lalter were less effervescent in Brown!

As it happened, another new boy joined the Hall at this odd time of Turn; Telonas had been trained in the tiny Hold called Flaxmeadow, which boasted two Journeyman weavers and a number of apprentices, and had as its sole claim to fame the Impression of a Green dragon by the Holder's daughter, M'eela, a turn before. Telonas was a cheerful boy with a ready wit and a joy in plays on words.

Placed in Lower Bronze for his hard work and attainments for longer term assessment – the Master did not think him quite ready to be a senior – he was soon firm friends with Greggor; and both were keen logicators very quickly!

It satisfied the logicators well enough to have a real case to discuss and pull apart the motives of all the protagonists; and Sadvia heaved a sigh of relief.

Her own introduction to logicating, the placing of Thread in tree roots, and subsequently the terrible mistreatment of the girl apprentices by the evil Sandrina had been baptisms of fire; but Sadvia had been much older than these babes, having been sixteen when Elissa burst upon the Woodcrafter Hall with logicating. Not that Sadvia had disputed the inclusion of Amrys into the team sent to investigate; being Ranking herself she too had grown up with the maxim that 'Blood obligates'; and approved Amrys taking a necessary interest in the seamier side of life as well as its more pleasant aspects.

Rillys had, as might be expected, taken a dim view of Feraysa's using of her old nurse; but it was impossible to determine if she had ordered Millita to kill Dwilon or had only made wishful-thinking sounding hints. For which reason Rillys would not employ the death sentence; she could not determine if Feraysa had really intended the death of her husband or had played along when half hopeful wish became reality. Millita was no help at all in determining the level of guilt of her nurseling; declaring alternately that it was all her own idea and that she would do anything her darling wanted. She was unhinged; and Rillys placed her to drudge within the Hold, under the care of a competent and sensible woman as her overseer and – effectively – keeper. Feraysa was harder to deal with. Rillys ruled that the woman forfeited her share of marks left in Dwilon's will; and gave it as a fine to the larger crafthall at Rivenhill for their trouble of having to sort the mess out. The woman she sent as a housekeeper to a cotholder as a bonded labourer for life. The cotholder involved had never married; being gay. Feraysa would have no luck wiith her seductive charms there; nor would she risk being improperly used. The cotholder was agreeable to see she did the work set her – and as she would share in the food she cooked, there was the incentive to make it palatable and not spoil it of spite!

All this Rillys later told Amrys; for the girl needed to know how justice followed up the uncovering of a crime.

It was time to celebrate with a midnight feast.

This feast was unmarred by officious intrusion by the likes of Serry; and, greatly daring, Amrys also invited the Ranking girls who were packing to leave in a day or two.

Siresha declined such childishness – to Amrys' distinct relief – but could be relied upon not to diminish her own dignity by sneaking!

Brown dormitory was decided upon as the venue; and it was an exceedingly tight squeeze!

"I'm afraid this is the last whole Hall feast we'll be able to have" said Amrys, regretfully, handing round bubbly pies "We'll never get another Turn's intake in. It'll have to be a one or two dormitory thing in future."

"And honoured we are to be at this historic feast" said Vana who had discarded much of her own accustomed dignity. Sadvia too was giggling quite as much as any of the paying girls to be crammed together all on one bed!

"We never did anything like this in the Tannercraft Hall" said Dwinie "I'll suggest it when I get home!"

"Could be because she's not a real apprentice AND the child of a master" Amrys muttered to Jilamon.

"If she shows willing she might just make real friends though" her brother opined.

"Do they do this in the Weyr, you weyrbred?" asked Keiriel.

"Not to my knowledge" said Bretine.

"Not at Telgar" said Jilamon.

"I left when I was too young to be invited if they did at High Reaches"said Amrys "But I wager both candidates and weyrlings are too tired to be able to. And it's no excitement to Blooded Riders 'cos they end up eating at whatever peculiar hours Thread forces on them."

"Why candidates?" asked Keiriel.

"Why, because they have to get fit enough to be ABLE to care for dragons – and R'gar at least don't like some of the lazy little wherry-heads to have too much time on their hands to play spite games anyway!" said Amrys. "You so will WORK!"

"Ah well, worth it for the chance to Impress" said Keiriel.

It was voted a good feast; and came to a rapid end when Journeyman Otelek's voice was heard in the corridor outside.

"Now I wonder if I heard a noise? After I've been downstairs I must check each dormitory!"

There were stifled giggles a deaf journeyman must have heard; and the piercing whisper,

"Good ol' Otelek, he's a real sport! C'mon people, he says it's time to break it up!"

Rubbish disappeared as if by magic; and stealthy figures retreated quickly to their own dormitories ready to feign sleep when the journeyman came on his rounds with shaded glows.

Amrys heard the conversation between him and Sadvia, who had kindly kept cave for the little girls.

"Ah, Journeyman Sadvia….you heard a noise too?"

"Oh quite so, Journeyman Otelek" said Sadvia demurely.

"Would you check if the girls are all right?" asked Otelek gravely.

"My pleasure" said Sadvia.

"Oh, Journeyman" said Otelek "Just wipe that bubbly pie crumb off before you go in, won't you? Won't do to give the little imps ideas…." And he grinned at her.

Sadvia was young enough to remove the offending crumb from the corner of her mouth with her tongue.

Otelek thought it rather sweet; and wondered how to get her closer to the obviously smitten Master Telarish, who was a young master and had been a popular senior apprentice when Otelek was a first turn apprentice; and he had been as indulgent a journeyman as Otelek now was!

Discussing design for the new brocade looms, obviously, thought Otelek.

Telarish was a good friend. The least he could do was to help his rather shy friend with his romance!

And he knew that Sadvia appreciated Telarish's intelligence and the way he had picked up the salient points in that nasty little case of poor Master Dwilon's murder. The Woodcrafter girl was very stylish too; he would engineer discussion on fashion between her and his father Braelek when Telarish was there to comment; for on his own subject Telarish was NOT so shy!

Nice girl, Sadvia; and well worth keeping at this Hall!

That would have been an end to the midnight feast; save for the fact that Amrys was running down the stairs early in the morning unable to see over the hamper full of dirty napkins – just as one of the Hall drudges was carrying up a jug of klah for the Masters and their wives.

There was a CRASH! And a pair of yells, slithering sounds and a heavy FLUMP of the descending basket.

Amrys sat amidst broken klah jug and napkins.

"Shells! Are you all right Teevie?" she asked the drudge.

"Oh yes, Lady Amrys, apprentice ma'am!" said the drudge giggling "Cuh you do look a fright! Are you all right?"

"Oh fine" said Amrys "Bruised more in dignity than fundament – isn't that a nice word for the arse? – and the klah was cooled enough by its flight not to scald as it came down."

Teevie giggled even more at Amrys' solemn little voice as she viewed the destruction around her in dismay.

"Amrys" Master Lynger stood at the top of the stairs resplendent in a patchwork dressing gown "WHAT has happened?"

"Ah…would you accept, an egregious concatenation of entirely unforeseeable and infelicitous circumstances, Master?" said Amrys.

"In short?"

"I was running downstairs too fast and ran into Teevie and the klah" said Amrys with a sigh.

"Have you apologised?"

"No sir; I thought checking she wasn't scalded was more important" said Amrys.

"Quite so. Rectify the matter, clean up that mess and make more klah so Teevie can rest her shattered nerves and I'll see you with my morning brew in minutes ten" said Lynger, taking his majestic dressing gown back to his room.

Amrys looked dismayed.

"Minutes ten? That's fardling unreasonable!" she said, starting to mop spilled klah with soiled napkins. "I say, Teevie I AM really sorry, you know."

"Oh that's all right, My Lady; and that's my job you know!"

"No, it's mine for not looking where I was going" sighed Amrys "But I'd take it as a favour if you'd get more klah started up!"

Teevie giggled again.

"That was most awfully funny!" she said "And I'll get a proper cloth and help!"

Amrys grinned.

"Reckon it must have looked hilarious to anybody else!" she said "Don't you LOVE his dressing gown? I'm going to make me one just like it!"

Lynger was busy explaining the matter to his wife, Hiliana.

"Little minx was getting rid of the evidence of last night's midnight feast….WHAT was it she said – 'an egregious concatenation of entirely unforeseeable and infelicitous circumstances' – that has to be one of Amrys' best ever!"

Hiliana roared with laughter.

"You can't deny she's quick witted!" she said. "That child will go far!"

"Indeed" agreed the Master "She may not be our most talented student ever; but she's a hard worker and knows how to have fun too. She's a good little girl that one!"

And Amrys never knew how hard the Master and his wife worked at presenting a perfectly straight face each when she came in with their morning klah!

Life settled back to routine quickly enough once the Ranking students departed; Vana to High Reaches Weyr; Keiriel to Igen and the others to their respective homes.

"And another lot due in a few days" said Amrys. "Well, I suppose it's all revenue to the Hall; but I'm glad I'm a proper apprentice not some snotty brat who thinks it 'nice to learn a bit more'.

"I guess it's a way to learn more if you're not encouraged to be a real apprentice for sure" said Lyssa tolerantly "And isn't it just that half the silly parents are afraid that their precious offspring will be being ill treated by the wicked low born apprentices once they discover daddy's dharlin is of Rank; and I'm thinkin' that some apprentices might just be less than gentle if they think they've got precious dharlin's t' play with."

"That's daft"said Amrys, unravelling her friend's idiom "Any apprentice worth their salt is going to respect someone for putting aside Rank for learning."

"We respect you for it, and Tirley" said Kevanna.

"'Tisn't always likely to be so" said Nelon "Master Lynger is kind, but he don't allow foolishness. Nor don't he fawn on your Rank. Some places, a kid'd be bullied just for being Ranking, especially if the Masters made much of it and were all smarmy; and then the apprentices would DARE them to complain as proving they're sneaking snots – even if they have grounds for complaint about worse bullying than most people get. You don't half hear stories at a big Hold like High Reaches!"

"But why should people do that? I concealed my Rank like Tirley did, and Sajed, so people wouldn't pre-judge us 'til we settled; but even so the worst I expected was to be ignored or sneered at" said Amrys "Is there really THAT much resentment?"

"Sure, there's more resentment some places than others" said Lyssa "And no-one would've bullied Lord Jaxom in Ruatha if he'd apprenticed for a few turns instead of Impressing which having done of course he didn't have the other option; but too many Ranking are too like our precious Siresha I'm thinking, and if enough apprentices have come across their likes, then ye can hardly blame them for thinkin' them all alike!"

Amrys sighed.

"Oh well, I guess the only thing to do is to persuade more people to apprentice Ranking children, people we know; that'll knock any corners off the kids too real quick; and make it common enough for people not to get stroppy. Lord Groghe's got craftsman children."

"Not girls" said Lyssa "Boys can stand on their own feet; but sorra a Ranking girl – present company excepted – can fight, and they melt like sugar!"

Amrys pulled a face.

"And that's their parents' fault" she said "And their parents decide they're too delicate – it's a vicious circle" she declared gloomily. "Oh well, we'll soon see how delicate our new Ranking flowers are!"

The others laughed; and agreed the new girls could not, at least, prove as bad as Siresha!

**the end of another half turn**

**I'll try to get another story started soon...  
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